Grasshoppers and Their Allies

There are three prominent insect families that are suggestive of grasshoppers that cause confusion for the unskilled observer. True grasshoppers(Acrididae), katydids(Tettigoniidae)and crickets (Gryllidae)are seperate families in the order Orthoptera and are often confused and misidentified. This blog is intended to eliminate confusion between these three families of Orthoptera. All three families share some similar characteristics such as over-sized and conspicuously enlarged hind legs used for jumping, that are often folded fan-wise beneath the front wings when at rest. The bodies of these insects are elongated. Stridulation, the rubbing of one body part against another to produce sound, is a common characteristic among these insects.



The family Acrididae are known as the true grasshoppers (image above image) and are separated from katydids and crickets by certain features. Grasshoppers have short antennae and tympanic (auditory) organs that are located on the sides of the first abdominal segment. These organs are concealed by the first pair of wings in adults. True grasshoppers are diurnal and stridulation occurs by rubbing the hind leg against the fore-wing. In the Acrididae, the ovipositor is short. True grasshoppers are herbivorous.






Both katydids(top image-just above) and crickets(bottom image) share some of the same characteristics not seen in true grasshoppers. Both are nocturnal and accomplish stridulation by rubbing their fore-wings together. Katydids and crickets can be predatory, omnivorous or herbivorous. Their tympanic organs are located on their forelegs and they have long antennae, often longer than their bodies, and long extended ovipositors. An interesting feature found in both groups of insects is their method of copulation. Almost all insects, copulate with the male mounting the females and aggressively holding on to the female. Crickets and katydids, are the exception and reverse the position during copulation. They have no way of aggressively mating with females instead they attract them with their stridulation and wait for the female to come to them and initiate copulation. Copulation is accomplished with the the female mounting the male.