Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids

Order Orthoptera

The Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids (Order Orthoptera) includes 1,030 species across 22 families and 248 genera in our directory.

About Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids

Orthoptera includes ~28,000 described species of grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids. Desert locusts can form swarms covering 460 square miles containing up to 80 million individuals per square kilometer.

Economic Impact

A single large locust swarm can consume the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people. The 2019-2021 East Africa locust crisis affected food security for 42 million people across multiple countries. Global crop losses from locusts can reach billions annually.

Ecological Role

Grasshoppers and crickets are a primary food source for birds, reptiles, and small mammals. Cricket farming is a growing industry - crickets require 12× less feed than cattle to produce the same amount of protein, using 2,000× less water.

Families in Orthoptera (22)

Species in Orthoptera (1,030)

Warner's Spur-throat Grasshopper

Melanoplus warneri

Acrididae

Identification: Tip of male abdomen Described from a large series of specimens collected near College Station, Brazos Co, Texas

Washington Short-wing Grasshopper

Melanoplus washingtonius

Acrididae

Very closely related to, and perhaps not a distinct species from M. montanus , which occurs further to the east, and M. oreophlius from the Cascades. NOTE: In 2012, Daniel Otte published numerous names for related "species", and resurrected some name

Weissman's Conehead

Bucrates weissmani

Tettigoniidae

Identification: Similar to Neoconocephalus , but with only a slight notch under the base of the cone on the front of the head.

Western Longwing

Capnobotes occidentalis

Tettigoniidae

Identification: Very similar to Capnobotes fuliginosus , and overlapping distribution widely, but this species ranges further north and not so far southward. In comparison, C. occidentalis is somewhat smaller and more varied in body coloring (gray,

Western Tree Cricket

Oecanthus californicus

Oecanthidae

Identification: Western tree crickets are quite diverse in pattern and coloration - SINA Red scape and pedicel (1st two antennal segments) with black antennae. Additionally, californicus often has a thin dark line on the inner edge of the ventral sur

Western Trilling Cricket

Gryllus integer

Gryllidae

Identification: In much of the southwest, the only Gryllus with a nearly continuous trilling song . Overlaps distribution to east with basically identical G. texensis (mostly in western Texas), and distinction is problematic (perhaps often impossible

Wheeler's Blue-winged Grasshopper

Leprus wheeleri

Acrididae

Identification: Large robust grasshopper with large head, Tegmina with well defined wide cross bands and usually two pale lines running along top edges when folded. Wings yellow to light blue (usually greenish) with a curved dark band (no spur) alon

White Sand-treader Cricket

Ammobaenetes arenicolus

Rhaphidophoridae

Identification: Distinction from D. phrixocnemoides is weak. Shape of external plates associated with male genitalia are different, and D. arenicola is lighter in coloring.

White's Dune Grasshopper

Trimerotropis whitei

Acrididae

Identification: Small with wide pronotum flared to the sides. Identical to T. arenacea, but hind tibiae yellow to red instead of green to blue. Should be considered a synonym or at best a regional variant of T. arenacea , differing only in leg color

White-lined Bird Grasshopper

Schistocerca albolineata

Acrididae

Identification: Similar to S. lineata and venusta , but more contrastingly marked, with bold dark bars on the hind femora. This species is dark olive green or brown to black, with contrasting pale yellowish markings, and bold contrasting markings on

White-lined Grasshopper

Conozoa rebellis

Acrididae

Identification: Not distinguishable from Conozoa texana except by coloration and location. C. rebellis differing in usually being more strikingly marked with linear dark and white patterning that tends to run along the axis of the body. Hind tibiae

Whitney Short-wing Grasshopper

Melanoplus platycercus

Acrididae

Similar to M. rileyanus , but found in the southern Sierra Nevada (Montane elevations in Mt. Whitney area), with male cerci broader and with lobe on upper side smaller. Male subgenital plate shorter.

Wingless Florida Grasshopper

Floritettix aptera

Acrididae

Identification: Otte (2014) split this 'species' into two genera and numerous species. See under Remarks on the Aptenopedes genus page

Wingless Meadow Katydid

Odontoxiphidium apterum

Tettigoniidae

Identification: Male forewings shorter than pronotum (female forewings concealed by pronotum): Male cercus with 2 teeth as opposed to 1 in Conocephalus and Orchelimum: This little species does in fact have wings (albeit extremely short ones), contrar

Wingless Mountain Grasshopper

Booneacris glacialis

Acrididae

Identification: Totally wingless spurthoat Grasshopper; usually greenish; with face nearly vertical. Found in northeast. Very closely akin, and similar to Dendrotettix, Appalachia, and perhaps Melanoplus viridipes , but those all have at least short

Withlacoochee Grasshopper

Melanoplus withlacoocheensis

Acrididae

Identification: Male cerci are swollen distally, with a small ventral downward-facing tooth. This species has a large and erect pallium which is only seen in this species and M. rotundipennis Tip of male abdomen

Wood Cricket

Nemobius sylvestris

Trigonidiidae

Identification: Head black with pale Y-shaped marking.

Woodland Meadow Katydid

Conocephalus nemoralis

Tettigoniidae

Identification: Robust in form, female with thick curved ovipositor for genus. Dark color - sides usually black. Male with veins in tegmina heavy and usually pale in color. Song is a series of brief, quiet buzzes or trills, often given at uneven in

Wrinkled Grasshopper

Hippiscus ocelote

Acrididae

Identification: Heavy bodied, with large rounded head, nearly smooth on top between eyes. Pronotum rough on top, often with low irregular raised parallel ridges toward the rear; with median ridge cut once at middle . Usually gray and brown with a l

Wyoming Toothpick Grasshopper

Paropomala wyomingensis

Acrididae

Identification: Small (under 2 inch), very slender "toothpick" grasshopper with large head. Head is approximately 1.3 times longer than pronotum and wider than rest of body (head is approaches twice as long as pronotum in related Prorocorypha snowi

Xanthippus aquilonius

Acrididae

Very closely related to and similar to Xanthippus corallipes and perhaps should be treated as a regional variant or subspecies. However, not much is known about X. aquilonius yet. There is also a resemblance in coloring to Pardalophora apiculata .

Xanthippus brooksi

Acrididae

Closely related to X. aquilonius and X. corallipes , and perhaps should be treated as a regional variant or subspecies of X. corallipes [as it was originally described], but not much is known about X. brooksi . Quite similar to some high elevation p

Yarrow's Grasshopper

Melanoplus yarrowii

Acrididae

Identification: Similar to M. differentialis, but with no herringbone pattern on hind femur and with red hind tibiae. Usually there is a narrow dark stripe back from the eyes onto the pronotum and there are often at least faint diagonal dark bands a

Yukon Slant-faced Grasshopper

Bruneria yukonensis

Acrididae

Separated from other Bruneria species by more than 1000 km.

black-faced scaly cricket

Cycloptilum kelainopum

Mogoplistidae

Identification: Clypeus, labrum, and genae piceous and strikingly distinct

from Georgia & Carolina

Melanoplus unknown-species

Acrididae

Identification: Shows similarities to M. differentialis and has been found in northern Georgia and in North Carolina. Perhaps a form of M. clypeatus , but pattern (especially on hind legs) is different. Resembles Mexican M. sumichrasti . Perhaps a

lychee bush cricket

Paroecanthus oaxaca

Oecanthidae

Identification: Antennal flagellum black This species has been known as Xenogryllus unipartitus on SINA, but Lucas de Campos has determined it as a species of Paroecanthus .

mangrove ground cricket

Hygronemobius alleni

Trigonidiidae

Identification: Hind tibia with 3 spines on each upper margin (other U.S. ground crickets have 4).

spectacular scaly cricket

Cycloptilum spectabile

Mogoplistidae

Identification: The largest species of scaly cricket described from the U.S., and the most colorful in life. Purplish russet pronotum, banded grey and white abdomen; orange legs, very long cerci.