Orthoptera is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – grasshoppers, locusts, and close relatives; and Ensifera – crickets and close relatives.
Acrididae, commonly called short-horned grasshoppers, 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.
The Caelifera are a suborder of orthopteran insects. They include the grasshoppers and grasshopper-like insects, as well as other superfamilies classified with them: the ground-hoppers (Tetrigoidea) and pygmy mole crickets (Tridactyloidea). The latter should not be confused with the mole crickets (Gryllotalpidae), which belong to the other Orthopteran sub-order Ensifera.
The African rice grasshopper, Hieroglyphus daganensis is a medium-sized grasshopper species found in the Sahel region. Although not called a locust in English, this species shows gregarious behaviour and some morphological change on crowding and may become a moderately important pest species for small-holder farmers in the region.
Phymateus viridipes, also known as the green milkweed locust or African bush grasshopper, is an African locust in the family Pyrgomorphidae.
Pyrgomorphidae is a family of grasshoppers in the order Orthoptera; it is the only family in the superfamily Pyrgomorphoidea. Pyrgomorphidae is found worldwide in tropical and warm temperate regions, but the vast majority of the family's approximately 500 species are from Africa, Asia and Australia. Their name is probably derived from pyrgos meaning "tower": a reference to the form (morph) of the head in the type genus Pyrgomorpha and other genera.
Phymateus is a genus of fairly large grasshoppers of the family Pyrgomorphidae, native to shrubland, semi-deserts, savanna, woodland, gardens and cultivated areas in Sub-Saharan Africa, with ten species in the African mainland and two species in Madagascar. Some species have bright aposematic colours and are highly toxic.
Pyrgacris descampsi is a species of insect, belonging to the family Pyrgacrididae.
Anacridium moestum, the camouflaged tree locust, is a species of grasshopper belonging to the family Acrididae, that is native to Africa south of the equator. It is similar in appearance to the Southern African desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria flavicentris. It is likewise brownish, large and slender, but mostly arboreal in its habits.
Xiphoceriana atrox is a species of grasshoppers belonging to the family Pamphagidae.
Acrididea including the Acridomorpha is an infraorder of insects that describe the grasshoppers and ground-hoppers. It contains a large majority of species in the suborder Caelifera and the taxon Acridomorpha may also be used, which excludes the Tetrigoidea. Both names are derived from older texts, such as Imms, which placed the "short-horned grasshoppers" and locusts at the family level (Acrididae). The study of grasshopper species is called acridology.
Calephorus compressicornis is a species of grasshopper in the tribe Calephorini found in Europe and Africa.
The Trigonopterygoidea are an insect superfamily in the Orthoptera: Caelifera. Sometimes described as leaf grasshoppers, American species in the Xyronotidae have also been called razor-backed bush-hoppers.
Pamphagodidae is a small family of grasshoppers in the Orthoptera: suborder Caelifera. Species in this family can be found in southern Africa and Morocco.
The Lathiceridae are a family of grasshoppers, in the Orthoptera: suborder Caelifera. Species in this family can be found in the desert regions of southern Africa where they resemble the stony ground on which they live. They are characterized by their apterous (wingless) bodies, which are dorsoventrally depressed and often excessively widened in the metathoracic region, giving them a spindle-like appearance. Their integument is sculptured and rugose, and their coloration varies from white to brown and purple, harmonizing with the color of the substratum on which they live.
The Lithidiidae are a family of grasshoppers, in the Orthoptera: suborder Caelifera. Species in this family can be found in Africa.
The Hemiacridinae are a subfamily of Acrididae in the Orthoptera: Caelifera. Species can be found in Africa and Asia.
The Pyrgomorphinae are a subfamily of grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae. Species are found in, especially the warmer parts of: Central and South America, southern Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and Pacific Islands. The type genus is Pyrgomorpha and names dates from "Pyrgomorphiden" by Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1874. The first use of Pyrgomorphinae was by Krauss in 1890.
The Orthacridinae are a sub-family of grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae. Species are found in: Central America, Africa, Asia, Australia and certain Pacific Islands. The type genus is Orthacris and the taxon proposed by Bolívar in 1905.
Phymateus karschi is a locust in the family Pyrgomorphidae.
