Range
Most genera included in tribe Dactylotini occur only in Mexico.
Remarks
Tentatively included together here are the genera Aztecacris and Dactylotum. It is probable that that the Dactylotini is an unnatural assemblage, even in a highly restricted sense, as for example Aztecacris shows strong resemblance in color pattern and some other traits to Hesperotettix & Poecilotettix, and may be more closely akin to those genera.
Some authors have included several other genera within this this tribe, but they are placed elsewhere here, because they do not resemble Dactylotum and other closely related genera, and because some of them have been shown not to be related to Dactylotum by recent molecular studies.
Some members of Dactylotini are noted for their specific host preferences. Our two species tend to favor Asteraceae, particularly low shrubby species, although Dactylotum is known to feed on a variety of other plants as well.
Print References
Litzenberger & Chapco, 2003. 'The North American Melanoplinae (Orthoptera: Acrididae): A Molecular Phylogenetic Study of Their Origins and Taxonomic Relationships'. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 90(4): 491-497
Chintauan-Marquier, et al, 2011. 'Evolutionary History and Taxonomy of a Short-horned Grasshopper Subfamily: The Melanoplinae (Orthoptera: Acrididae)'. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 58: 22-32
Woller, et al, 2014. 'Studies in Mexican Grasshoppers: Liladownsia fraile, a new genus and species of Dactylotini (Acrididae: Melanoplinae) and an updated molecular phylogeny of Melanoplinae'. Zootaxa 3793(4): 475-495