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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids (Orthoptera) » Grasshoppers (Caelifera)

Suborder Caelifera - Grasshoppers

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Identification · Food · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited
Grasshopper - Trimerotropis pallidipennis - female Chihuahua Lubber - Phrynotettix tshivavensis - female Unknown Orthoptera - Trimerotropis fontana - male Arphia simplex - female Grasshopper - female grasshopper - Melanoplus keeleri - female Arphia - male Acridid
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids)
Suborder Caelifera (Grasshoppers)
Other Common Names
Short-horned Orthoptera
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Acridioidea
Orthoptera, section Saltatoria Fieber, 1852
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).
Apparently from Latin caelare, (noun caelatura), to engrave in relief, plus -fer, bearing (Internet searches) (1)--likely refers to the sculptured integument of many in this group. The related term Ensifera means sword-bearing.
Numbers
In North America, five families, about 660 species, most (620 or so) in family Acrididae (totals from individual family pages).
Worldwide, about 2,400 genera, 11,000 species (Internet references).
Identification
The group that contains the insects familiar to most people as grasshoppers. Also includes the Pygmy Mole 'Crickets' (Tridactylidae), which are not closely related to crickets. Characteristics:
back legs large, modified for jumping
antennae usually shorter than body
antennae have fewer than 30 segments (more than 30 in Ensifera)
ovipositor short (not obvious), structural details--4 valves, as opposed to six in Ensifera (see Tree of Life)
auditory organ (tympanum) if present, is on the abdomen (typically on front tibiae in Ensifera)
stridulation (if performed) typically accomplished by rubbing serration of inner surface of hind femur across veins of front wing--mechanism typically involves just the forewings in Ensifera
Food
Feed almost exclusively on plants, though some will scavenge dead plant and animal material at times.
Remarks
The fungus Entomophaga grylli attacks grasshoppers and is used as a biocontrol Cornell University.
See Also
Ensifera - Long-horned Orthoptera
Overwintering Grasshopper Nymphs
Print References
Gordh, A Dictionary of Entomology, entry for caelate (1)
Castner, p. 64 (2)
Bland, pp. 89-90 (3)
Ander. 1939. Opuscula Entomologica, Lund. 2(Suppl.): 306 pp., division of order Orthoptera into two suborders (quoted by OSF)
Internet References
classification plus common name reference, literature citations, synonym, included taxa (Orthoptera Species File)
Tree of Life
Wikipedia--Grasshopper
Works Cited
1.A Dictionary of Entomology
George Gordh, David H. Headrick. 2003. CABI Publishing.
2.Photographic Atlas of Entomology and Guide To Insect Identification
James L. Castner. 2000. Feline Press.
3.How to Know the Insects
Roger G. Bland, H.E. Jaques. 1978. WCB/McGraw-Hill.
Contributed by Joel Kits on 1 May, 2005 - 7:41pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Beatriz Moisset, Robin McLeod, David Ferguson
Last updated 27 May, 2015 - 7:09pm

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