Order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids) in the Christopher B. Smith Preserve

Order Orthoptera Characteristics: About 250 species of orthopterans live in Florida. They include grasshoppers, crickets, mole crickets, and katydids.

Some orthopterans are wingless, while others have short wings, or wings extended the full length of the body. Those orthopterans with wings have two pair; the front wings are fairly straight. In fact, "Orthoptera" means "straight wings." When at rest, the leathery forewings usually cover and protect the membranous hindwings.

Members of the order have a cylindrical body; large, compound eyes; thread-like antennae; slightly to greatly enlarged hind femora, which allow them to leap great distances; tarsi with fewer than five segments, chewing mouthparts, and gradual metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult.)

Males of most species produce sounds ("stridulations") to attract females. A cricket, katydid, or mole cricket produces sound by rubbing the tiny pegs on one of its forewings over a file-like apparatus on the other forewing. A singing grasshopper produces sound by rubbing the base of one of its hind legs across the leading edge of one of its front wings.

Interactions in the Smith Preserve: Most orthopterans eat plants. Orthopteran species are major food sources for song birds and game birds, and they are also consumed by lizards, snakes, frogs, spiders, and rodents.

Family	Species Name	Common Name
Acrididae	Dichromorpha viridis	Short-Winged Green Grasshopper
Acrididae	Spharagemon marmorata	Marbled Grasshopper
Acrididae	Schistocera americana	American Bird Grasshopper
Acrididae	Unknown	Short-Horned Grasshopper
Gryllidae	Cyrtoxipha columbiana	Columbian Trig
Gryllidae	Hapithus sp.	Flightless Bush Cricket
Romaleidae	Romalea guttata	Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
Tettigoniidae	Montezumina modesta	Modest Katydid / Bush Katydid
Tettigoniidae	Unknown	Meadow Katydid
Tettigoniidae	Unknown	Unknown
Tettigoniidae	Neoconocephalus triops	Broad-Tipped Conehead/Three-Eyed Conehead Katydid

 

Family Acrididae Dichtromorpha viridis ... Short-Winged Green Grasshopper There are about 70 species of grasshoppers in Florida. They, along with pygmy mole crickets belong to Suborder Caelifera. All members of this suborder have the following characteristics in common: 1) The antennae are short, usually less than half the length of the body. 2) If tympana (sound receiving structures) are present, they are is located on the abdomen. 3) The tarsi have three or fewer segments. 4) The hind femora are usually enlarged for jumping. 5) Females lack an obvious visible ovipositor. Unlike crickets and katydids that produce sound at night, grasshoppers produce sound during the day. Dichtromorpha viridis is the most common green grasshopper species in Florida. It is common in grassy areas, including edges of ponds, where this grasshopper was photographed. The forewings of this species are short. Adult males and females look different. Like most grasshoppers, males are smaller (14 to 17 mm) than females (23 to 27 mm). The dorsal and lateral surfaces of male grasshoppers sometimes have contrasting colors like the one shown here. The most common form is the green dorsal and pale or dark brown lateral surfaces. But males are sometimes light brown dorsally and dark brown laterally. Females are uniformly colored, but may be either green or brown. The very tiny grasshopper in the photograph at right was resting on a leaf of Vitis rotundifolia (Muscadine Grape) in the Smith Preserve. On September 21, 2013, it was identified as a nymph of Dichromorpha viridis by David J. Ferguson, Contributing Editor to <bugguide.net>, hosted by Iowa State University Entomology Department.   Return to top

 

 

Family Acrididae Spharagemon marmorata ... Marbled Grasshopper This species belongs to Subfamily Oedipodinae (The Bandwinged Grasshoppers). As these photographs show, bandwinged grasshoppers have heavy bodies; enlarged hind legs; and enlarged and broad, rounded heads. The orientation of the face is vertical. They are usually gray or brown and mottled with dark spots. The pronotum often has ridges, wrinkles, or small tubercles, which give the grasshopper a rough appearance. The color and rough texture act as camouflage on the sandy substrate where they usually live. As the common name "bandwinged grasshopper" implies, these grasshoppers have colorful banded wings. The wings are used for display to the opposite sex. Males, and sometimes females, produce crepitation (sound in flight). The snapping, crackling, and/or buzzing sounds are made by rubbing the bottom surface of the forewings against the veins of the hind wings. These grasshoppers sometimes produce stridulation (sound) while at rest by rubbing the hind femora against the forewings. Bandwinged grasshoppers normally live in open, sunny areas, where there is bare soil. Their diet is principally grass. There are 13 species and 8 genera of bandwinged grasshoppers in Florida. The three grasshoppers shown here were photographed in the sandy scrub area of the Smith Preserve in March and April, 2012. Note: Each individual has a keel on the pronotum, a flesh-colored abdomen, and banded femora. The hind tibiae are red, the antennae are thin, and the hindwings (not visible in these photographs) are yellow. On August 21, 2013, the species was identified from these photographs as Spharagemon marmorata by David J. Fergson, a contributing editor of <bugguide.net>, hosted by Iowa State University Entomology. The body length of a marbled grasshopper is 26 to 31 mm in males, and 27 to 35 mm in females. The individuals in the first and second photographs are males. The third is a female. Marbled grasshoppers are found throughout Florida and adjacent states, along the New England east coast, and in the United States and Canada near the Great Lakes. In Florida, they are found throughout the year.   Return to top

 

 

Family Acrididae Schistocera americana ... American Bird Grasshopper On December 9, 2015, this large grasshopper, exceeding 4 mm in length, was spotted as it hopped from a clump of grass to a small gumbo limbo tree on the Eastern edge of the Smith Preserve, adjacent to the parking lot. As shown, adults of this species are generally yellow-brown with pale wings with large brown spots. Nymphs have a different appearance, changing colors as they mature, with their color influenced by environmental conditions. Females lay eggs about 3 cm into the soil in clutches of 60 to 80 light orange eggs stuck together in a frothy mass. Nymphs emerge in 3 to 4 weeks and remain together in a feeding group during their early life. The female lays up to 3 clutches of eggs in a season and there are two generations per year. As a pest, this species is best known in Florida, where it eats citrus. When conditions are favorable, there are "population explosions" and masses of grasshoppers attack crop plants. Grasshoppers can defoliate trees and completely devoir smaller plants. According to an article in the Florida Entomologist 76 (1), pgs. 175-79 , although outbreaks are rare, it is considered to be the most destructive grasshopper in Florida. Besides citrus, the species is known to eat other cash crops (corn, cotton, oats, peanuts, rye, sugarcane, tobacco, vegetables, and ornamentals.) Its other host plants include a variety of grasses and palm trees. This species, like some other grasshoppers, produces a regurgitant which causes the plant to respond by producing a substance that attracts predators of the grasshopper. The regurgitant might also be used by the grasshopper as a defense. When this particular grasshopper was captured (in order to be photographed), it expelled a large amount of regurgitant. That is the brown stain on its abdomen. Return to top

 

 

Family Acrididae Unknown Species ... Short-Horned Grasshopper   This very tiny nymph was straddling a blade of grass near the pond at the Smith Preserve. The species identification has yet to be determined.   Return to top

 

 

Family Gryllidae Cyrtoxipha columbiana ... Columbian Trig As with other members of Family Gryllidae, Cyrtoxipha columbiana holds its wings flat over its body, the tarsi have three segments, the tympana are located on the front tibiae, and the ovipositor is needle-like. The identification of the cricket shown here was confirmed from these photographs on August 19, 2013 by Nathan Lewis, contributor to <bugguide.net>, a website hosted by Iowa State University Entomology. Cyrtoxipha columbiana is commonly known as a type of "trig" because it belongs to Subfamily Trigonidiinae (The Sword-Tail Crickets). The common name "sword-tail" originates from the shape of the female's ovipositor, which functions for inserting eggs into plant tissues. Trigs are also known for the adhesive tarsal pads on their legs, which help them run upside down on plant leaves. Although trigs are small (4 to 7 mm), these crickets are easily recognized by their vivid color and crawling behavior. Members of genus Cyrtoxipha are called green sword-tailed crickets, for an obvious reason. Both of the photographs shown here are of the same individual, a female Cyrtoxipha columbiana nymph. In the first photograph, you can see the curved ovipositor between the cerci (long sensory appendages at the posterior end of the cricket). A male Cyrtoxipha columbiana produces an intermittent stridulation (chirping) in a repeating rhythmic pattern. The sound is produced by the stridulatory organ, a large vein that runs along the bottom of each wing. The vein is covered with serrations ("teeth," like those on a comb). The stridulation is created by rubbing the top of one wing along the serrations at the bottom of the other wing. As a male performs this act, he holds his wings up and open. This causes the membranes of the wing to act as sound amplifiers. The male can produce four different cricket sounds, each with its own purpose: 1) a loud calling sound attracts females and repels other males; 2) a quiet sound is a courting song, used when a female is nearby; 3) an aggressive song is produced when chemoreceptors on the antennae detect another male is close by; 4) a short song is produced after successfully mating. Return to top

 

 

Family Gryllidae Hapithus sp. ... Flightless Bush Cricket On February 2, 2020, this 11.5 mm flightless bush cricket nymph was discovered resting on an Abrus precatorius (Rosary Pea) vine in the Christopher B. Smith Preserve. These photographs were sent for identification to <BugGuide.net>, sponsored by the Entomology Department at Iowa State University. On February 11, 2020, the cricket was identified by "metioptera", a Contributing Editor of <BugGuide.net>. He said the cricket is a "nearly mature male nymph" and "would have an ovipositor if it were a female". According to SINA (Singing Insects of North America), operated by the Orthopterist's Society, characteristics of this species include: "brown color; sedentary with hindwings shorter than forewings; foretibia with anterior tympanum but without posterior one." In Florida, there are three species in genus Hapithus. Since this is a nymph and the forewings are not fully developed, the identity of the species is unknown. Return to top

 

 

Family Romaleidae Romalea guttata ... Eastern Lubber Grasshopper As an adult, this grasshopper is easily identifiable because it is so large and brightly colored. Adults have bright red underwings. Immature lubbers have black and yellow markings and often congregate in large groups. All ages of lubbers are incapable of flight and can jump only short distances. They are clumsy and move slowly by walking and crawling over the substrate. Each female lubber produces 3-5 egg clusters in pods. A pod is a group of tightly packed eggs surrounded by hard, frothy material. Lubber nymphs and adults are capable of biting chunks out of plants and can be very destructive to citrus, vegetable crops and landscape ornamentals. Romalea guttata produces poisonous and repellent chemicals and can also concentrate poisons from the plants it eats into its own toxic secretions. In spite of these chemicals, the eastern lubber grasshopper has many predators: 1) Maggots of some flies attack lubbers and consume them from within. 2) Lanius ludoviciannus (Loggerhead Shrike) also preys on them. This bird impales the grasshopper on a sharp stick or barbed wire until the poisons have evaporated from the grasshopper. 3) Some wasps and flies attack lubber eggs.   Return to top

 

 

Family Tettigoniidae Montezumina modesta ... Modest Katydid / Bush Katydid A katydid holds its wings roof-like over its body. Other characteristics include: 1) tarsi with four segments, 2) tympana (ears) located on the front tibiae, 3) very long and fine antennae, and 4) slender jumping legs. There are at least 64 species of katydids in Florida. Each species produces its own sound. Unlike grasshoppers and crickets, both males and females make sounds. Most katydids sing at night. To produce sound, a katydid rubs its forewings together. They use their tympana to hear each other. Photograph one shows a female katydid nymph hanging head down from Ceratiola ericoides (Florida Rosemary. The second photograph has been reoriented to made examination easier. To help identify a species of katydid, the position of the antennae and tympana are important, as well as the shape of a female's ovipositor. The individual in these photographs has the base of the antennae above the eyes and the tympana on its foretibia are exposed. On August 21, 2013, this species was identified from these photographs by David J. Ferguson, a contributing editor of <bugguide.net>, hosted by Iowa State University Entomology. He said the vertical stripe through the eye is a good clue to its identification. All katydids can fly short distances when threatened, but they spend more time walking, climbing, and jumping. Katydids eat plant leaves, dead insects, insect eggs, and slow-moving insects like aphids. Although their color and leaf-shaped wings act as camouflage, some predators manage to find them. Predators include birds, bats, spiders, frogs, snakes, and other insects.   Return to top

 

 

Family Tettigoniidae Unknown Species ... Meadow Katydid This 5 mm long meadow katydid nymph was captured in a sweep net along the southwestern bank of the dry seasonal pond in the Smith Preserve. That pond is dominated by grasses and sedges. On January 5, 2015, identification of the subfamily Conocephalinae and tribe Conocephalini were determined from this photograph by "metriptera", Contributing Editor to <BugGuide.net>, sponsored by Iowa State University Department of Entomology. As with other tettigoniids, the meadow katydid has very long antennae and it is primarily nocturnal. Adults produce species-specific songs, called stridulations, by rubbing a toothed vein on one wing against a plectrum (small flat structure) on the other wing. Return to top

 

Family Tettigoniidae Unknown Species ... Long-Horned Grasshopper On February 20, 2014, this 4 mm long (without antennae or hind legs) long-horned grasshopper nymph was living on a Ficus aurea (Strangler Fig) leaf. Note its size is quite small, and it has not yet developed wings. Its tarsi have four sediments and it has very long antenna and hind legs. These images were created by photomicroscopy and sent for identification to <Bugguide.net>, sponsored by Iowa State University's Department of Entomology. To date, the genus and species have not been identified. Return to top

 

 

Family Tettigoniidae Neoconocephalus triops ... Broad-Tipped Conehead/ Three-Eyed Conehead Katydid On February 15, 2024, this male katydid was resting on the open garage concrete floor of the Science & Policy building of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. The garage is adjacent to a hammock area of Smith Preserve, and it is presumed that the katydid had come from the Preserve. The web host identified the species by using the online guide on <Bugguide.net>, sponsored by Iowa State University's Department of Entomology. The species name "triops" is Greek, meaning "three eyes." This refers to the black spot on the cone head, which has the appearance of a third eye. This katydid is a large conehead, with males 43-60 mm long and females 51-67 mm long. . Food is largely seeds of grasses, but sometimes other insects. Return to top

 

© Photographs and text by Susan Leach Snyder (Conservancy of Southwest Florida Volunteer), unless otherwise credited above.

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