The skimmers or perchers and their relatives form the Libellulidae, the largest dragonfly family in the world. It is sometimes considered to contain the Corduliidae as the subfamily Corduliinae and the Macromiidae as the subfamily Macromiinae. Even if these are excluded, there still remains a family of over 1000 species. With nearly worldwide distribution, these are almost certainly the most often seen of all dragonflies.
The Acrididae are the predominant family of grasshoppers, comprising some 10,000 of the 11,000 species of the entire suborder Caelifera. The Acrididae are best known because all locusts are of the Acrididae. The subfamily Oedipodinae is sometimes classified as a distinct family Oedipodidae in the superfamily Acridoidea. Acrididae grasshoppers are characterized by relatively short and stout antennae, and tympana on the side of the first abdominal segment.
Corinnidae is a family of araneomorph spiders, sometimes called corinnid sac spiders. The family, like other "clubionoid" families, has a confusing taxonomic history. Once it was a part of the large catch-all taxon Clubionidae, now very much smaller. The original members of the family are apparently similar only in that they have eight eyes arranged in two rows, conical anterior spinnerets that touch and are generally wandering predators that build silken retreats, or sacs, usually on plant terminals, between leaves, under bark or under rocks.
The subfamily Catantopinae is a group of insects classified under family Acrididae. Genera such as Macrotona may sometimes called "spur-throated grasshoppers", but that name is also used for grasshoppers from other subfamilies, including the genus Melanoplus from the Melanoplinae. Indeed, the delimitation of these two subfamilies needs restudy: the Podismini for example are sometimes placed here, sometimes in the Melanoplinae.
Hymenopodinae is a subfamily of the mantis family Hymenopodidae.
The Phaneropterinae, the sickle-bearing bush crickets or leaf katydids, are a subfamily of insects within the family Tettigoniidae. Nearly 2,060 species in 85 genera throughout the world are known. They are also known as false katydids or round-headed katydids.
Gomphocerinae, the slant-faced grasshoppers, are a subfamily of grasshoppers found on every continent but Antarctica and Australia.
Eumastacidae are a family of grasshoppers sometimes known as monkey- or matchstick grasshoppers. They usually have thin legs that are held folded at right angles to the body, sometimes close to the horizontal plane. Many species are wingless and the head is at an angle with the top of the head often jutting above the line of the thorax and abdomen. They have three segmented tarsi and have a short antenna with a knobby organ at the tip. They do not have a prosternal spine or tympanum. Most species are tropical and the diversity is greater in the Old World. They are considered primitive within the Orthoptera and feed on algae, ferns and gymnosperms, the more ancient plant groups.
Eumastacoidea is a superfamily within the order Orthoptera. The family has a mainly tropical distribution. Some of the characters of the members of the superfamily are the lack of an abdominal tympanum, wings if present widen towards the tip, the antennae are short in some groups the hindlegs are spread out laterally at rest. The overall classification based on genitalic characters and the geographic distribution of the groups are as follows:
Chorotypidae is a family of tropical Asian grasshoppers, formerly included within the family Eumastacidae. These grasshoppers have a head that rises above the level of the thorax and short antennae. Some species have reduced wings, others have wings that widen towards the tips and still others have a flattened leaf-like shape. They lack abdominal tympani.
The Thericleidae are a family of grasshoppers within the order Orthoptera and superfamily Eumastacoidea. They have exceptionally stubby antennae even for the Caelifera, with most species have a characteristic "horse-headed" look in profile.
Spongiphoridae is a family of little earwigs in the suborder Neodermaptera. There are more than 40 genera and 510 described species in Spongiphoridae.
Erianthus is a genus of grasshoppers restricted to Southeast Asia. They occur in Japan, northeast India, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, South China including Hong Kong, and extend east to Sumatra. In the past some neotropical species were also included in the genus. They have narrow ranges and species are identifiable only by their characteristics of male and female genitalia.
Romaleinae is a subfamily of lubber grasshoppers in the family Romaleidae, found in North and South America. There are more than 60 genera and 260 described species in Romaleinae.
Copiocerinae is a subfamily of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. There are at least 20 genera in Copiocerinae, found in southern North America, Central America, and South America.
Chininae is a subfamily of Asian grasshoppers in the family Chorotypidae based on the type genus China. There are currently two known genera and about nine described species, found in southern China and Southeast Asia. The subfamily was first formally erected in 1899.
Stenerianthus annamensis is a species of grasshopper in the monotypic genus Stenerianthus. It is in the family Chorotypidae, subfamily Erianthinae. This grasshopper was discovered in central Vietnam.
Episactidae is a family of grasshoppers in the order Orthoptera. There are about 19 genera and more than 60 described species in Episactidae, found in Central and South America, China, and Madagascar.
Euschmidtiidae is a family of grasshoppers in the order Orthoptera. There are at least 60 genera and more than 240 described species in Euschmidtiidae, found in Sub-Saharan Africa and surrounding islands.
Proctolabinae is a subfamily of grasshoppers in the family Acrididae. There are more than 20 genera and 210 described species which are found in South America.
