Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Grylloptera, Locustoidea
Classification follows
Orthoptera Species File; see Taxonomy Proposals topic
here.
Explanation of Names
Ander (1939) first divided the Orthoptera into suborders Caelifera and Ensifera (
OSF).
Ensifera is Latin for sword-bearing, and refers to the sword-like ovipositor typical of this group.
Numbers
About 10 families, 1,200 species in North America. Worldwide, more than 15,000 species
(1).
Identification
A diverse group, including the familiar katydids and crickets, plus lesser-known groups. Characteristics:
hind femora usually only somewhat enlarged (compare large femora of Caelifera)
antennae thread-like, with more than 30 segments (fewer than 30 in Caelifera)
ovipositor long, sword-like (sometimes needle-like), internally has 6 valves--4 in Caelifera (
Tree of Life)
tarsi with 3-4 segments
in "singing" families, forewings are modified for stridulation, having a toothed vein (file) and scraper, plus membranous areas that resonate and amplify the sounds
tympanum (hearing organ) on the front tibia in those groups that sing
Some examples of ovipositors:
Images showing the stridulatory apparatus and tympanum in a member of the
Tettigoniidae,
Microcentrum retinerve:
Food
Many are herbivores; some are carnivores.
Life Cycle
Typically nocturnal. In many groups, individuals live for more than one year.
Print References
Ander. 1939. Opuscula Entomologica, Lund. 2(Suppl.): 306 pp., division of order Orthoptera into two suborders (quoted by
OSF)
Internet References
classification plus literature citations, synonyms, included taxa (Orthoptera Species File)
