Orthoptera

Some insects are great at jumping.

Grasshoppers and crickets belong to this group. They have long back legs to help them hop.

These insects can make songs. They rub their wings or legs together to do this.

They use these sounds to find each other.

Most of these insects lay eggs in the ground. The babies look like small adults. They just do not have wings yet.

As they grow, they shed their old skin. This helps them get bigger. Soon, they grow wings and become adults.

Some people even eat these insects for food. They are found all over the world.

They are very interesting creatures to watch.

Orthoptera is a large group of insects. It includes grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets.

There are more than 20,000 species in this group. They live all over the world.

These insects have special bodies for jumping. They have long back legs with strong muscles. Most have two pairs of wings. The front wings are tough. The back wings are thin and can fold like a fan.

They also have mouthparts for biting and chewing.

Many Orthoptera make sounds to find others. This is called stridulation. They make noise by rubbing their wings or legs together.

They use these sounds to find mates. To hear, they use a part called a tympanum. This is like an ear. In crickets, the ear is on the front leg. In grasshoppers, it is on the belly.

These insects grow in steps. The young are called nymphs. They look like small adults but have no wings. As they grow, they shed their skin. They do this many times until they are adults.

Some locusts can form huge groups called swarms. They can eat a lot of crops very quickly.

Orthoptera is a huge group of insects found all over the world. This group includes many well-known bugs like grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets. It also includes relatives like katydids and wētā.

Scientists say there are more than 20,000 different species in this order. The name comes from Greek words that mean "straight wing." Most of these insects have cylindrical bodies and long back legs. These legs have strong muscles that help them jump very far.

These insects have a special way of making noise called stridulation. They create sound by rubbing their wings or legs together. The wings or legs have tiny bumps that help make the noise.

They use these songs to find other insects of their kind. To hear these sounds, they use a part called a tympanum. This part acts like an ear. In crickets and katydids, the ear is on the front leg. In grasshoppers, the ear is on the first part of the belly.

Orthoptera grow through a process called incomplete metamorphosis. This means they do not go through a pupa stage like butterflies do. Instead, they start as small nymphs that look like tiny adults.

These young nymphs are often called "hoppers." They usually do not have wings yet and may be different colors than the adults. As they grow, they go through several moults, which is when they shed their skin. They keep moulting until they become mature adults with full wings.

Some of these insects can be very hard for farmers. Locusts are famous for making huge groups called swarms. A single swarm can have 80 million insects and cover 460 square miles. These swarms can eat a whole field of crops in just one day. This is because a locust can eat its own body weight every day. Grasshoppers can also damage crops, especially if there is a drought or if they run out of weeds to eat.

Many people around the world actually eat these insects. About 13% of all insects are eaten by humans, and 80 species of grasshoppers are eaten regularly.

In Thailand, many people farm house crickets for food. In the second century BCE, a writer named Diodorus Siculus called people from Ethiopia "Acridophagi," which means "eaters of locusts." In Judaism, some locusts are even considered kosher. This is because the laws in the book of Leviticus say certain hopping insects are okay to eat.

Orthoptera is a diverse order of insects found all over the world. This group includes well-known creatures like grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets. It also contains relatives such as katydids, bush crickets, and wētā.

Scientists have identified more than 20,000 different species within this order. The name Orthoptera comes from Greek words meaning "straight wing."

Most members have cylindrical bodies and strong hindlegs designed for jumping. They also possess mandibulate mouthparts used for biting and chewing.

These insects communicate through a process called stridulation. This is the act of producing sound by rubbing body parts together. They may rub their wings against each other or rub their legs against their wings. These body parts contain rows of corrugated bumps that help create the noise.

To hear these sounds, they use a specialized organ called a tympanum, which acts as an ear. In crickets, mole crickets, and katydids, the tympanum is located on the front tibia. In grasshoppers and locusts, the ear is found on the first abdominal segment. These insects rely on vibrations to locate other individuals of their species.

Orthopterans are divided into two main suborders: Caelifera and Ensifera. The Caelifera suborder includes grasshoppers, locusts, and their close relatives. This group contains several superfamilies, such as Acridoidea, which includes locusts, and Pyrgomorphoidea, which includes gaudy grasshoppers.

The Ensifera suborder consists of crickets and their relatives. This group includes families like Grylloidea, which contains true crickets, and Tettigoniidae, which contains katydids. Each suborder is considered monophyletic, meaning they share a common evolutionary ancestor.

These insects undergo a life cycle known as incomplete metamorphosis, or paurometabolous development. This means they do not have a pupa stage like butterflies. Instead, they hatch from eggs laid in the ground or on plants as nymphs.

These young nymphs are often called "hoppers" and resemble miniature adults. However, they lack wings and often have much different coloration than adults. The nymphs must undergo successive moults, which is the process of shedding their skin to grow. They continue moulting until they reach the final stage of a mature adult with fully developed wings. This growth period can last from a few weeks to several months depending on weather and food.

Some species of Orthoptera can be significant pests to humans. Locusts are particularly famous for their ability to form massive swarms. A single swarm can contain up to 80 million individuals and cover 460 square miles. A locust can eat up to its own body weight in a single day. Historically, these swarms have been known to wipe out entire fields of crops in one day. Grasshoppers can also cause agricultural damage, especially during droughts when they switch from eating weeds to eating crops.

Interestingly, many orthopterans are a regular part of the human diet. About 13% of all insects are edible, and humans regularly consume 80 species of grasshoppers.

In Thailand, house crickets are farmed extensively, with about 20,000 farmers working in 53 provinces as of 2012. In Ancient Greece, the writer Diodorus Siculus even referred to people from Ethiopia as "Acridophagi," meaning "eaters of locusts." In Judaism, certain locusts are considered kosher. The book of Leviticus provides an exception for specific hopping insects that have knees extending above their feet.

Beyond food, these insects are being studied for their potential in green technology. Scientists are interested in the guts of grasshoppers as a source for biofuel. They have the ability to break down cellulose and lignin. This process is useful because it does not produce greenhouse gases. This makes them a promising subject for research into alternative energy sources.