Grasshoppers and katydids

Scientific name

Order Orthoptera

Similar species

Grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets are commonly mistaken for one another. Each group can be distinguished by several characteristics.

	Grasshoppers	Katydids	Crickets
Antennae	Shorter than body	At least as long as body	At least as long as body
Ovipositorovipositor: a tubular structure extending from the abdomen of female insects that is used to lay eggs	Short, blunt	Blade-like	Needle-like
Tympana location	Sides of first abdominal segment	Front tibia	Front tibia
Hind femur	Thick	Thin	Thick

Diagnostic characteristics

Adults

• Smallest size - 14 mm (0.55 in.).
• Largest size - 75 mm (2.95 in.).
• Elongate body and pronotumpronotum:
  the dorsal surface of the first thoracic segment
  with descending laterallateral:
  with an orientation pertaining to the side
  lobes.
• Uniform dark green to tan with assorted color spots.
• Sword-like (ensiform) to thread-like (filiform) antennae with at least 7 segments.
• Katydids have much longer antennae than grasshoppers.
• Large compound eyes and three ocelli present.
• Chewing mouthparts chewing mouthparts:
  mouthparts designed for biting and chewing; mandibles move from side to side with overlapping edges that cut like scissors as well as surfaces for grinding; characteristic of orthopterans <a href="http://idtools.org/id/citrus/pests/morphology.php?state[]=head#mouthparts"></a>
  are downward pointing (hypognathous).
• First two pairs of legs are walking legs (gressorial).
• Grasshoppers with enlarged hind femurs (hind leg segment) modified for jumping (saltatorial).
• Dark green to blue tibiatibia:
  from the base of the insect body, the tibia is the fourth segment of the insect leg, situated between the femur and the tarsus
  (second largest leg segment).
• Tarsi (small subdivisions below the tibiatibia:
  from the base of the insect body, the tibia is the fourth segment of the insect leg, situated between the femur and the tarsus
  ) have 1 - 4 segments.
• Wings either absent (apterous) or with two pairs (alate).
• Winged species with tegmina (leathery, long forewings) and broad, fan-like, membranousmembranous:
  with the same character as a membrane, typically used to refer to structures like wings that are clear and translucent like a membrane
  hind wings.
• Forewings with either assorted color patterns or a leaf-like appearance.
• Short, well-developed appendages on last abdominal segment (cerci).
• Abdomen abdomen:
  one of the three body segments in insects; the most posterior segment containing the heart, reproductive organs, and digestive organs
  usually 11 segmented.
• Females with an ovipositorovipositor:
  a tubular structure extending from the abdomen of female insects that is used to lay eggs
  (organ for laying eggs).
• Males with a large terminal, ventralventral:
  bottom surface of the body
  plate on the abdomenabdomen:
  one of the three body segments in insects; the most posterior segment containing the heart, reproductive organs, and digestive organs
  (subgenital plate).
• Tympana (auditory organs) on either the first abdominal segment or base of front tibiatibia:
  from the base of the insect body, the tibia is the fourth segment of the insect leg, situated between the femur and the tarsus
  .
• Katydids with a scraper (sharp edge base of front wing) and file (file-like ridge on other front wing).

Immatures

• Smallest - 3.4 mm (0.13 in.).
• Largest - 16 mm (0.63 in.).
• Normally 6 nymphal instars.
• Pale to bright orange body color with assorted spot or stripe patterns.
• Dark green to tan antennae with banding.
• Structurally similar to adults, but with wing padswing pads:
  undeveloped or incomplete wing structures that are found on the immature individuals of insects that do not undergo complete metamorphosis, e.g., stink bugs, leaf-footed bugs, grasshoppers
  .
• Size and number of antennal segments increases with each successive moltmolt:
  process of shedding the external skeleton during periods of growth; occurs between successive instars of a larva or nymph
  .

Eggs

• Smallest - 3.9 mm (0.15 in.).
• Largest - 4.5 mm (0.17 in.).
• Oval or with a curved and flattened shape.
• Yellow to glistening pale grey.
• Egg mass laid either on leaf margin or held within an egg pod.

Hosts

Citrus hosts

All Citrus species and their hybrids are known hosts for the devastating grasshopper, Melanoplus devastator. Bush katydids feed on sweet orange, Citrus sinensis.

Non-citrus hosts

Orthoptera have a broad host rangehost range:
the range of species that a particular organism can feed on to achieve successful growth and reproduction
that includes weeds as well as vegetable, field, and flower crops. See individual fact sheets for more detailed information.

Host damage

Refer to the individual fact sheets for each orthopteran species for more detailed information.

Fruit

Orthopterans may feed on very young fruit, causing distortion and a single circular scar on the fruit. Often, individuals will take one bite of many fruits.

Leaves

Visible damage is often species-specific with individuals feeding along edges of leaves or forming ragged circular holes in leaves.

Twigs

Certain orthopterans will occasionally feed on the epidermis of stems.

Biology

Female grasshoppers and katydids lay one to several eggs. Katydids will lay eggs on tough, older citrus leaves in the summertime while grasshoppers deposit eggs either in the soil or on a leaf margin in late summer. Eggs enter a resting period (diapause) and overwinter until the following spring. Newly emerged nymphs extensively feed on flowers, leaves, and particularly young fruit. Nymphs increase in body size after each successive moltmolt:
process of shedding the external skeleton during periods of growth; occurs between successive instars of a larva or nymph
and mature into adults by mid-summer.

Adults find mates by producing mating calls. Male grasshoppers find mates by either snapping their wings in flight or rasping the hind legs against the forewings or abdomenabdomen:
one of the three body segments in insects; the most posterior segment containing the heart, reproductive organs, and digestive organs
. Male katydids produce mating songs by rubbing the scrape and file on their forewings.

References

Capinera, J.L., R.D. Scott, and T.J. Walker. 2004. Field guide to grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets of the United States. Cornell University Press. Ithaca, NY.

Belkin, J. 1976. Fundamentals of Entomology: A manual for introductory courses. American Biological Supply Company. Baltimore, Maryland.

Eaton, E. and K. Kaufman. 2007. Orthoptera pp.68. In Field guide to insects of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York, New York.

Helfer, J.R. 1953. How to know the grasshopper, cockroaches, and their allies: Pictured-key nature series. WM.C. Brown Company Publishers. Dubuque, Iowa.

Triplehorn, C., and N. Johnson. 2004. Orthoptera pp. 209-213. In Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the study of insects. 7th ed. Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning. Belmonte, California.

Authors

Guerrero, S., J.A. Weeks, and A.C. Hodges