Grasshopper

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Grasshopper (disambiguation).
Grasshopper
Temporal range: 250 Recent Ma
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Young grasshopper on grass stalk02.jpg
Immature grasshopper
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum:
Hexapoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder:
Caelifera
Ander, 1939
Superfamilies
Tridactyloidea
Tetrigoidea
Eumastacoidea
Pneumoroidea
Pyrgomorphoidea
Acridoidea
Tanaoceroidea
Trigonopterygoidea
Grasshoppers are insects of the order Orthoptera, suborder Caelifera. They are s
ometimes referred to as short-horned grasshoppers to distinguish them from the k
atydids (bush crickets) which have much longer antennae. They are typically grou
nd-dwelling insects with powerful hind legs which enable them to escape from thr
eats by leaping vigorously. They are hemimetabolous insects (do not undergo comp
lete metamorphosis) which hatch from an egg into a nymph or "hopper" which under
goes five moults, becoming more similar to the adult insect at each developmenta
l stage. At high population densities and under certain environmental conditions
, some grasshopper species can change colour and behaviour and form swarms. Unde
r these circumstances they are known as locusts.
Grasshoppers are plant-eaters, sometimes becoming serious pests of cereals, vege
tables and pasture, especially when they swarm in their millions as locusts and
destroy crops over wide areas. They protect themselves from predators by camoufl
age; when detected, many species attempt to startle the predator with a brillian
tly-coloured wing-flash while jumping and (if adult) launching themselves into t
he air, usually flying for only a short distance. Other species such as the rain
bow grasshopper have warning coloration which deters predators. Grasshoppers are
affected by parasites and various diseases, and many predatory creatures feed o
n both nymphs and adults. The eggs are the subject of attack by parasitoids and
predators.
Grasshoppers have had a long relationship with humans. Swarms of locusts have ha
d dramatic effects that have changed the course of history, and even in smaller
numbers grasshoppers can be serious pests. They are eaten as food and also featu
re in art, symbolism and literature.
Contents [hide]
1
Characteristics
2
Phylogeny and evolution
3
Diversity and range
4
Biology
4.1
Diet and digestion
4.2
Sensory organs
4.3
Circulation and respiration

4.4
Jumping
4.5
Lifecycle and reproduction
5
Predators, parasites and pathogens
5.1
Anti-predator defences
6
Relationship with humans
6.1
In art
6.2
Symbolism
6.3
As food
6.4
As pests
6.5
Locusts
6.6
In literature
6.7
In aviation
7
Notes
8
References
9
Sources
Characteristics[edit]
Grasshoppers have the typical insect body plan of head, thorax and abdomen. The
head is held vertically, at an angle to the body with the mouth at the bottom. I
t bears a large pair of compound eyes which give all-round vision, three simple
eyes which can detect light and dark and a pair of thread-like antennae which ar
e sensitive to touch and smell. The downward-directed mouthparts are modified fo
r chewing and there are two sensory palps in front of the jaws.[1]
The thorax and abdomen are segmented and have a rigid cuticle made up of overlap
ping plates composed of chitin. The three fused thoracic segments bear three pai
rs of legs and two pairs of wings. The forewings, known as tegmina, are narrow a
nd leathery while the hind wings are large and membranous, the veins providing s
trength. The legs are terminated by claws for gripping. The hind leg is particul
arly powerful; the femur is robust and has several ridges where different surfac
es join and the inner ridges bear stridulatory pegs in some species. The posteri
or edge of the tibia bears a double row of spines and there are a pair of articu
lated spurs near its lower end. The interior of the thorax houses the muscles th
at control the limbs.[1]
Crickets, like this great green bush-cricket Tettigonia viridissima, somewhat re
semble grasshoppers but have over 20 segments in their antennae and different ov
ipositors.
The abdomen has eleven segments, the first of which is fused to the thorax and c
ontains the auditory organ and tympanum. Segments two to eight are ring-shaped a
nd joined by flexible membranes. Segments nine to eleven are reduced; segment ni
ne bears a pair of cerci and segments ten and eleven house the reproductive orga
ns. Female grasshoppers are normally larger than males, with short ovipositors.[
1] The name "Caelifera" comes from the Latin and means chisel-bearing, referring
to the sharp ovipositor.[2]
Those species that make easily heard noises usually do so by rubbing a row of pe
gs on the hind femurs against the edges of the forewings (stridulation). These s
ounds are produced mainly by males to attract females, though in some species th
e females also stridulate.[3]
Grasshoppers are easily confused with the other sub-order of Orthoptera, Ensifer
a (crickets), but differ in many aspects, such as the number of segments in thei
r antennae and structure of the ovipositor, as well as the location of the tympa
na and modes of sound production. Ensiferans have antennae that can be much long
er than the body and have at least 20 24 segments, while caeliferans have fewer se
gments in their shorter, stouter antennae.[3]