| Thoracistus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Thoracistus sp., male in mid-winter, calling at dusk from a marsh edge | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Ensifera |
| Family: | Tettigoniidae |
| Subfamily: | Tettigoniinae |
| Tribe: | Arytropteridini |
| Genus: | Thoracistus Pictet, 1888 |
Thoracistus is a genus of decticine or shield-backed katydids in the family Tettigoniidae. [1] The mostly carnivorous genus is endemic to South Africa. [2]
This genus of decticine is extreme in the extent of its inflated pronotum. The pronotum completely conceals the tiny wings, which are used for stridulation only. [2] The pronotum functions as a resonating chamber, to amplify the singing of the male. As in all decticines a "free plantula" is found at the base of the tarsus of the jumping leg. This pair of elongate pads may aid jumping in ground biomes. [2]
They are bush or ground-dwelling insects, but unlike the majority of decticines, occur in mesic rather than xeric habitats. They hide by day in thickets, and become active at dusk when they ascend plants to feed on smaller insects. [2] After dark males call to the females, which are silent. The sound of a male chorus can carry some distance. The eggs hatch from late spring to early summer. They reach adulthood from late summer to fall. [2]
Species include:
The aardwolf is an insectivorous species of hyena, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch. It is also called the maanhaar-jackal, termite-eating hyena and civet hyena, based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet.
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Parcoblatta lata, the broad wood cockroach, is a species of wood cockroach native to the United States. It is one of the largest species of wood cockroaches.
Plagiotriptus pinivorus, the African pine-feeding grasshopper, is a species of thericleid orthopteran. It is native to eastern Africa where it is usually found in areas with moderate or heavy rainfall, mostly in the range 1,525 to 2,135 m, but sometimes at lower elevations down to about 500 m (1,640 ft).
The Pneumoridae are a family of nocturnal short-horned grasshoppers in the order Orthoptera, commonly known as the bladder grasshoppers and the sole representative of the superfamily Pneumoroidea. Their centre of diversity is in southern Africa, but one species occurs as far north as South Sudan. Most adult males acquire an inflated abdomen, a specialization for amplified sound production, which is likely its primary function. Most genera display striking sexual dimorphism, and several species exhibit a dual male phenotype.
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