Crickets Grasshoppers and Katydids: Orthoptera - Physical Characteristics, Habitat, Diet, Behavior And Reproduction, Orthopterans And People, Conservation Status - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
species accounts mimetica
Grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids are found on all continents and islands, except Antarctica. There are about 21,400 species of orthopterans worldwide, with about 3,000 species in the United States and Canada.
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The Orthoptera include grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and their relatives. Most orthopterans are medium to large in size, ranging in length from 0.4 to 3.9 inches (10 to 100 millimeters). The smallest species are crickets that live with ants; they are rarely more than 0.08 inches (2 millimeters) in length. The largest species are the katydids, each with wingspans of 7.9 inches (200 millimeters)…
Most orthopterans eat plants, but a few species will supplement their diets with living or dead insects. Nearly all grasshoppers are plant feeders, or herbivores (URH-bi-vorz). However, when there is a lack of water, or too many individuals in a small area, some grasshoppers may begin to eat each other and scavenge their dead. Herbivores will eat all parts of grasses, weeds, shrubs, and trees. Som…
Most grasshoppers feed and mate during the day but molt and lay their eggs at night. The majority of katydids and crickets tend to be active at night, especially in the tropics. However, a wasp-mimicking katydid from Central America is active during the day. These katydids are black and orange and strongly resemble the large tarantula hawk wasps. These harmless katydids not only look like wasps, t…
Plagues of crickets and grasshoppers have invaded homes and ravaged crops for centuries. In Africa and Asia locusts are still a serious threat to crops, but the problem has decreased over the years as scientists now have a better understanding of reasons for their population explosions and have developed various control measures. However, once the swarms become airborne, there is little that can b…
Seventy-four species of orthopterans are listed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN). Two of these species, the central valley grasshopper and Antioch dunes shieldback, are listed as Extinct, or no longer alive. The Oahu deceptor bush cricket is listed as Extinct in the Wild, or alive only in an artificial environment. Eight species are listed as Critically Endangered, another eight as Endangere…
Physical characteristics: Beetle crickets are small, black, shiny, and beetlelike. Males and females have short, thick forewings covering only half of the abdomen. The veins on these wings are made up of many straight, parallel veins. Males lack the ability to produce sound with their wings. Geographic range: Guinea (West Africa). Habitat: Beetle crickets are found in leaf litter of the lowland an…
Physical characteristics: The variegated grasshopper has a yellow-green body 1.4 to 2.2 inches (35 to 55 millimeters) in length, with yellow, orange, white, and black markings. The wings are usually very short, covering only half of the abdomen, but long-winged individuals are also known. Larvae are black with bright yellow speckles. Geographic range: Variegated grasshoppers are found in sub-Sahar…
Physical characteristics: The wingless bodies of greenhouse camel crickets are yellow-brown, spotted, and measure 0.5 to 0.7 inches (13 to 19 millimeters) in length. The legs and antennae are long and slender, giving them the appearance of a long-legged spider. They are very quick and capable of jumping long distances. Females have a long swordlike ovipositor. Geographic range: Originally from the…
Physical characteristics: The body is green or brown, leaflike, and measures 2 to 2.75 inches (50 to 70 millimeters) in length. Their mouthparts point forward, instead of downward. The legs, antennae, and wings are long and slender. Geographic range: Balsam beasts are found in New South Wales and Queensland (Australia). Habitat: They live in coastal wooded suburbs and gardens. Diet: This species f…
Physical characteristics: The body of a long-winged conehead is light green, with a distinctive dark brown stripe down the back, and measures 0.5 to 0.7 inches (12 to 17 millimeters) in length. The wings are longer than the body, with the hind wings extending beyond the tips of the forewings. The ovipositor is straight and is nearly as long as the body. Geographic range: They are widespread in Eur…
Physical characteristics: Dead leaf mimeticas are excellent mimics of living and dead leaves. Their bodies and wings are green, brown, or a combination of both. The forewings resemble the shape of a leaf and have leaflike veins. They also have small notches cut out of them as if they were leaves that had been nibbled by another herbivorous insect. Hind wings are very small. The female's ovi…
Physical characteristics: The body is usually brown, sometimes green, and measures 1.4 to 2.5 inches (35 to 65 millimeters) in length. Both males and females have a hoodlike plate on top of their midsection. The female's ovipositor is long and sword-shaped. Geographic range: This species is found in the Dominican Republic (Hispaniola). Habitat: They live in trees and tall bushes. Diet: They…
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