orthoptera [straight wings]
grasshoppers, crickets, locusts
20,000 species
Michel before coffee (sometimes after)
Characteristics (click to expand/collapse)
simple (gradual) metamorphosis
most are winged (click to expand/collapse)
fore are long, narrow & leathery
hind are broad & membranous (folded, fanlike, beneath fore wings)
flat against body at rest
mouth - chewing, regurgitates brown juice for defense (must be the coffee)
auditory organs called tympana: grasshopper - abdomen; cricket - front legs
antennae - can be long & conspicuous
hind legs elongated for jumping
"singing ability" by rubbing forewings (or hind legs & forewings)
Forestry Application (click to expand/collapse)
some crickets are pests of pine nurseries in the southern pine region of the US
outbreaks of grasshoppers & locusts are a problem for range plants