orthopteran

Orthoptera is an order of insects that includes grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, and their relatives. Typical features include chewing mouthparts, powerful hind legs for jumping, and wings in many species. Antenna length varies: crickets and katydids (Ensifera) usually have long, slender antennae, while many grasshoppers (Caelifera) have shorter ones.

Two major suborders are Ensifera and Caelifera. Ensifera contains crickets and katydids; Caelifera contains grasshoppers and their relatives. The order is cosmopolitan, occupying a broad range of habitats from forests to deserts. Some species are agricultural pests; others are important herbivores, detritivores, or prey for other animals.

Orthopterans undergo hemimetabolous development, with egg, nymphs, and adults. Nymphs resemble smaller adults and typically lack fully formed wings. Eggs are often laid in soil or plant tissue and hatch into wingless or short-winged nymphs that molt through several instars.

Many species produce sounds for communication through stridulation, by rubbing wings or legs together. Tympanic hearing organs are present in various locations depending on lineage. Diet is predominantly herbivorous, but some species are omnivorous or predatory, especially among crickets.

Ecologically, orthopterans are important in many ecosystems as consumers and prey. They have a long fossil record and are distributed worldwide, with greatest diversity in warm, vegetated regions. Locusts, a swarming form of certain grasshoppers, illustrate population outbreaks with notable agricultural impacts.