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Characteristics
Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids and locusts all belong to the order Orthoptera which means 'straight wings'. Most are easily recognisable by their hind legs, which are usually enlarged for jumping. They are often easily seen jumping away when disturbed or heard 'singing' at night. They are mainly medium to large insects with some species in Australia growing to a length of 10 centimetres. There are about 3000 species in Australia and all can be distinguished from other insects by the following features:

Gastrimargus musicus (yellow-winged locust)
Gastrimargus musicus
(yellow-winged locust)

* 2 pairs of wings. The forewings are narrower than the hind wings and hardened or leathery at the base. They are held roof-like overlapping the abdomen at rest. The hind wing is membranous and held folded fan-like under the forewings when at rest

* Mandibulate mouthparts

* Large compound eyes

* Antennae may be short to very long depending on the species. Grasshoppers have relatively short antennae while crickets and katydids generally have long antennae

* Hind legs are enlarged and modified for jumping

The general appearance of this order makes it difficult to confuse with other insects. The young of Orthoptera look like small wingless adults. Many orthopterans can produce sound by rubbing their legs, wings or abdomen together. It is predominantly males that produce these sounds to attract females.

Life Cycle
Orthopterans develop by incomplete metamorphosis. The majority of orthopterans lay their eggs in the ground or on vegetation. The eggs hatch and the young nymphs resemble adults but lack wings and at this stage are often called hoppers. Through successive moults the nymphs develop wings buds until their final moult into a mature adult with fully developed wings. The number of moults varies between species but grasshoppers may have up to 6 while crickets may have up to 10. Growth is also very variable and may take anywhere from a few weeks to many months depending on such things as food availability and weather conditions.

Siliquofera grandis
Siliquofera grandis

Feeding
Most orthopterans are herbivorous feeding on a variety of plant materials including roots. Most short-horned grasshoppers feed on grasses while many long-horned grasshoppers (such as katydids) and crickets tend to be more omnivorous. Some species are even scavengers or predators.

Habitat
Orthopterans are found in all terrestrial habitats across Australia. They are commonly in association with vegetation, from ground level to the canopy, in burrows in the soil or moving across open ground, depending on the species. Most are active during the day, feeding on vegetation and others such as mole crickets spend most of their time in underground burrows. Orthopterans are usually found singularly or in small numbers, however a few species sometimes increase in numbers forming plagues that can cause much damage and huge crop losses, such as the Australian plague locust pictured below.

Chortoicetes terminifera (Australian plague locust)
Chortoicetes terminifera (Australian plague locust)

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Orthoptera is an order of insects with paurometabolous or incomplete metamorphosis, including the grasshoppers, crickets and locusts. Many insects in this order produce sound (known as a "stridulation") by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps. The tympanum or ear is located in the front tibia in crickets, mole crickets, and katydids, and on the first abdominal segment in the grasshoppers and locusts.[1] These organisms use vibrations to locate other individuals.

Grasshoppers are able to fold their wings, placing them in the group Neoptera.
Contents
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* 1 Etymology
* 2 Characteristics
* 3 Life cycle
* 4 Orthoptera as food
* 5 Phylogenetics
* 6 Classification
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 External links

[edit] Etymology

The name is derived from the Greek ortho meaning straight and ptera meaning winged.
[edit] Characteristics

Orthopterans have a generally cylindrical body, with hind legs elongated for jumping. They have mandibulate mouthparts and large compound eyes, and may or may not have ocelli, depending on the species. The antennae have multiple joints, and are of variable length.[1]

The first and third segments of the thorax are enlarged, while the second segment is much shorter. They have two pairs of wings, which are held overlapping the abdomen at rest. The forewings, or tegmina, are narrower than the hindwings and hardened at the base, while the hind wing is membranous, with straight veins and numerous cross-veins. At rest, the hindwings are held folded fan-like under the forewings. The final two to three segments of the abdomen are reduced, and have single-segmented cerci.[1]
[edit] Life cycle

Orthopteroid species have a paurometabolous life cycle or incomplete metamorphosis. The use of sound is generally crucial in courtship, and most species have distinct songs.[2] Most grasshoppers lay their eggs in the ground or on vegetation. The eggs hatch and the young nymphs resemble adults but lack wings and at this stage are often called hoppers. They may often also have a radically different coloration from the adults. Through successive moults the nymphs develop wings until their final moult into a mature adult with fully developed wings.[1]

The number of moults varies between species; growth is also very variable and may take a few weeks to some months depending on food availability and weather conditions.
[edit] Orthoptera as food

Orthopterans are the only insects considered kosher in Judaism. The list of dietary laws in the book of Leviticus forbids all flying insects that walk, but makes an exception for the locust.[3] The Torah states the only kosher flying insects with four walking legs have knees that extend above their feet so that they hop.[4] This suggests that non-jumping orthoptera such as mole crickets are not kosher.
[edit] Phylogenetics

The branching order of these animals is fairly well understood.[5] The suborders Caelifera and Ensifera appear to be monophyletic and Rhaphidophoridae is a sister group of Tettigoniidae. Pyrgomorphidae are the most basal group of Caelifera. Myrmecophilidae appear to form a clade with Gryllotalpidae instead of with Gryllidae. Additional work may be needed to confirm this.

Among the four subfamilies of Tettigoniidae the relationships are - (Phaneropterinae + (Conocephalinae + (Bradyporinae + Tettigoniinae))) while among six acridid subfamilies were the relationships are -(Oedipodinae + (Acridinae + (Gomphocerinae + (Oxyinae + (Calliptaminae + Cyrtacanthacridinae))))).