Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
=Saltatoria
The treatment here follows primarily
(1)
In this and related orders, some authors tend to elevate categories such as tribes, subfamilies, etc. to higher ranks, while others do the opposite or remain more conservative. This has lead to an ongoing, often very confusing, inconsistency and instability in the literature.
Explanation of Names
Greek orthos (straight) + pteron (wing)
Numbers
>1,200 species in 256 genera in our area
(2); >20,000 spp. total
Identification
hind legs long, modified for jumping
forewings (tegmina) hardened, leathery, spread in flight, covering membranous hindwings at rest
cerci (appendages at tip of abdomen) unsegmented
pronotum usually with large descending lobes on sides
hind coxae small and well-separated
hind tibiae with two dorsal rows of teeth
Images needed for identification listed in
(3)Range
worldwide except very cold regions; most diverse in warmer climates
Life Cycle
Metamorphosis gradual; nymphs resemble adults, typically develop external wing buds, and live in the same habitat as adults. In most crickets and katydids, the female mounts the male for mating — apparently the primitive behavior in Orthoptera. Acrididae have a contorted mating posture with the male mounting the female.
(4)
Remarks
many orthopterans exhibit a green-brown polymorphism, tending to be green during wetter seasons and brown in drier parts
