Orthoptera (Grasshoppers & crickets)

Orthoptera is an order of insects that comprises grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, katydids and wētā, with more than 20,000 species distributed worldwide.

The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – grasshoppers, locusts, and close relatives; and Ensifera – crickets, katydids and wētā.

These insects have incomplete metamorphosis, eggs hatch and the young nymphs resemble adults, but lack wings. Orthopterans produce sound by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps.

Orthopterans use vibrations to locate other individuals using their ears (tympanum). In crickets, mole crickets, and katydids, this organ is in the front tibia, and on the first abdominal segment in the grasshoppers and locusts. 

Orthopterans have a generally cylindrical body, with elongated hindlegs for jumping. They have mandibulate mouthparts for biting and chewing and large compound eyes. The antennae have multiple joints and filiform type and are variable in length.

The first and third segments on the thorax are larger, while the second segment is much smaller. They have two pairs of wings, which are held overlapping the abdomen at rest. The forewings are narrower than the hindwings and hardened at the base, while the hindwings are membranous, with straight veins and numerous cross-veins. At rest, the hindwings are folded like a fan under the forewings. The final two to three segments of the abdomen are reduced and have single-segmented cerci.

Several species of Orthoptera such as grasshoppers and locusts are considered pests of crops with swarms known for wiping out fields of crops in a day. Locusts can eat their own body weight in a single day and gather in large groups called swarms, ranging 80 million individuals that stretch 460 square miles. While usually a pest, orthopterans are also edible and account for 13% of all insects consumed worldwide.

Source: Wikipedia

Orthoptera families