🦗 Order Orthoptera and Important Families

Orthoptera includes some of the most familiar insects in agricultural entomology, especially grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, and katydids. The order is important not only for identification but also because several of its members are serious pests.

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Meaning and Common Names

Orthoptera is historically associated with the older synonyms Saltatoria or Saltatoptera, reflecting the jumping habit of many members.

Common representatives include:

• grasshoppers
• locusts
• katydids
• crickets
• mole crickets

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General Characters of Orthoptera

Orthopterans are generally medium to large insects with several recognizable characters:

• antennae usually filiform
• mouthparts mandibulate
• prothorax large
• hind legs saltatorial and adapted for jumping
• forewings leathery and called tegmina
• hindwings membranous with broad anal area
• ovipositor usually well developed in females
• metamorphosis gradual
• sound-producing and hearing organs often present

These features make Orthoptera one of the easier insect orders to identify in field-oriented systematics.

Saltatorial hind legs and tegmina are among the most important field characters for recognizing Orthoptera.

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Classification into Two Suborders

The order is divided into two major suborders:

1. Caelifera
2. Ensifera

Caelifera

• antennae short, usually with fewer segments
• tympanum generally present on the first abdominal segment
• mostly diurnal
• many feed on grasses and monocot foliage
• escape mainly by jumping

Ensifera

• antennae long and many-segmented
• tympanum generally located on the fore tibia
• many are nocturnal
• tactile response is stronger
• several members feed on dicots or mixed plant material

This distinction is a classic exam point in insect systematics.

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Suborder Caelifera

Family Acrididae

This is the family of locusts and grasshoppers.

Important characters:

• antennae short
• tarsi three-segmented
• ovipositor short and horny
• tympanum present on the first abdominal segment
• sound commonly produced by femoro-alary mechanism

Agricultural importance:

• locusts are serious pests
• they attack grasses, cereals, and other crops
• swarming under favourable conditions makes them especially destructive

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Suborder Ensifera

Family Tettigoniidae

These are katydids or long-horned grasshoppers.

Important characters:

• antennae long, often longer than the body
• tarsi four-segmented
• ovipositor sword-like
• auditory organs present in the foretibiae
• sound produced by alary type stridulation

Family Gryllidae

These are the crickets.

Important characters:

• antennae long
• tarsi four-segmented
• ovipositor slender and needle-like
• long cerci
• males usually produce chirping sounds

Some species are household or nuisance pests.

Family Gryllotalpidae

These are the mole crickets.

Important characters:

• brown-coloured burrowing insects
• eyes reduced
• forelegs fossorial and adapted for digging
• hindwings extend beyond the tegmina
• ovipositor vestigial

Agricultural importance:

• mole crickets burrow in soil
• feed on tender roots and underground plant parts
• can damage crops and planting material

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Sound Production and Hearing

Orthopterans are well known for stridulation and auditory adaptations.

Different families produce sound through different mechanisms:

• femoro-alary mechanism in some grasshoppers
• alary mechanism in katydids and crickets

These features are not only biologically interesting but also important in family-level identification.

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Why Orthoptera Matters in Agriculture

Orthoptera is agriculturally important because:

• several species are destructive defoliators
• locust outbreaks can become regionally devastating
• mole crickets damage roots and seedlings
• family-level identification helps pest diagnosis

Example: identifying whether a specimen belongs to Acrididae or Gryllotalpidae immediately changes the likely damage pattern and habitat to be examined.

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Summary Cheat Sheet

• Orthoptera includes grasshoppers, locusts, katydids, crickets, and mole crickets.
• Key characters: mandibulate mouthparts, saltatorial hind legs, tegmina, gradual metamorphosis.
• Two major suborders: Caelifera and Ensifera.
• Acrididae includes locusts and grasshoppers.
• Tettigoniidae includes katydids or long-horned grasshoppers.
• Gryllidae includes crickets.
• Gryllotalpidae includes mole crickets.
• Orthopterans are important in agriculture because many are major crop pests.

References

2 sources • [1] [2]

[1]

Fundamentals of Entomology

[2]

Insect Morphology and Systematics