Saltatoria

Saltatoria is a historic grouping of jumping insects within the class Insecta, traditionally treated as an order dedicated to saltatorial locomotion. The designation encompassed the major jumping orthopterans, including grasshoppers and locusts (Caelifera) and the crickets and katydids (Ensifera). The name comes from Latin saltare, to leap. In 19th- and early 20th-century systems, Saltatoria was separated as a distinct taxon to emphasize the shared locomotory adaptation of the hind legs.

With advances in taxonomy and cladistic analysis, Saltatoria is no longer recognized as a formal, monophyletic lineage in modern classifications. It is now largely treated as a descriptive or historical concept within Orthoptera, used to refer to saltatorial members of the order rather than as a standalone clade. contemporary classifications typically divide Orthoptera into two suborders, Caelifera and Ensifera, within the order Orthoptera, rather than retaining Saltatoria as a separate rank.

Key characteristics of saltatorial insects include enlarged hind femora and tibiae with powerful musculature adapted for long jumps. Wings, when present, vary greatly, from long-winged forms to wingless ones. They are hemimetabolous, undergoing incomplete metamorphosis, with nymphs resembling small adults. Reproduction involves egg-laying in soil, plant tissue, or leaf litter, depending on species.

Saltatoria taxa are globally distributed, with greater diversity in tropical and subtropical regions. They inhabit a range of habitats, including grasslands, savannas, woodlands, and shrublands. Ecologically, they are typically herbivorous or omnivorous and play significant roles as herbivores and as prey for many predators; their acoustic signaling via stridulation or wing vibration is a notable behavioral trait in many species.