Tettigoniidae (Family)

Overview

For other uses of the term "katydid", see

The family Tettigoniidae, known in American English as katydids and in British English as bush-crickets, contains more than 6,400 species. It is part of the suborder Ensifera and the only family in the superfamily Tettigonioidea. They are also known as long-horned grasshoppers, although they are more closely related to crickets than to grasshoppers. Many tettigoniids exhibit mimicry and camouflage, commonly with shapes and colors similar to leaves.

Tettigoniids may be distinguished from grasshoppers by the length of their filamentous antennae, which may exceed their own body length, while grasshoppers' antennae are always relatively short and thickened.

The males of tettigoniids have sound-producing organs (via stridulation) located on the hind angles of their front wings. In some species females are also capable of stridulation.

There are about 255 species in North America, but the majority of species live in the tropical regions of the world.

The diet of tettigoniids includes leaves, flowers, bark, and seeds, but many species are exclusively predatory, feeding on other insects, snails or even small vertebrates such as snakes and lizards. Some are also considered pests by commercial crop growers and are sprayed to limit growth. Large tettigoniids can inflict a painful bite or pinch if handled but seldom break the skin.

The males provide a nuptial gift for the females in the form of a spermatophylax, a body attached to the males' spermatophore which is consumed by the female. The function of the spermatophylax is to increase the attachment time of the males' spermatophore and thereby increase his paternity. ^1]

The eggs of tettigoniids are typically oval shaped and laid in rows on the host plant.

Refences

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^ Vahed, K. 1998 The function of nuptial feeding in insects: review of empirical studies. Biological Reviews 73, 43-78.

Photo Gallery

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External Links

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Bush katydid genus Scudderia St�l, 1873 - diagnostic photographs, natural history
Black-sided meadow katydid - Conocephalus nigropleurum - diagnostic photographs
BugGuide.net--family Tettigoniidae
Singing Insects of North America (SINA) website.
Bug guide.net-- Pink Katydid
North American Katydids, with range maps and audio files of katydid songs.

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Family Tettigoniidae is a member of the Superfamily Tettigonioidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Tettigoniidae:

Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
    - Branch: Protostomia Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
      - Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
        Superphylum: Panarthropoda Cuvier
        Phylum: Arthropoda Latreille, 1829 - Arthropods
        Subphylum: Mandibulata Snodgrass, 1938
        Infraphylum: Atelocerata Heymons, 1901
        Superclass: Panhexapoda
        Class: Insecta C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Insects
        Subclass: Dicondylia
        Infraclass: Pterygota - Winged Insects
        Superorder: Orthopterida
        Order: Orthoptera Latreille, 1793 - Locusts, Katydids, Crickets, Grasshoppers
        Suborder: Ensifera (en-SIF-er-uh) Ander, 1939
        Infraorder: Tettigoniidea
        Superfamily: Tettigonioidea Krauss, 1902
        Family: Tettigoniidae Krauss, 1902 - Katydids

The Family Tettigoniidae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Subfamily (10): Bradyporinae · Conocephalinae · Listroscelidinae · Meconematinae · Mecopodinae · Odonturinae · Phaneropterinae · Pseudophyllinae · Saginae · Tettigoniinae
Tribe (4): Bradyporini · Copiphorini · Decticini · Ephippigerini
Genus (263): Abaxinicephora · Abaxisotima · Abrodiaeta · Acanthacara · Acantheremus · Acanthodis · Acanthoplus · Acanthoprion · Acanthoproctus · Acauloplacella · Acauloplax · Acra · Acrephyllum · Acripeza · Acrodonta · Acrometopa · Acrophyllum · Adapantus · Aglaothorax · Alfredectes · Alison · Alloteratura · Amacroxiphus · Amblycorypha · Amphiestris · Amytta · Amyttosa · Anabrus · Anadrymadusa · Analota · Anaulacomera · Anaulocomera · Anelytra · Anepisceptus · Aniara · Anoedopoda · Anonconotus · Antaxius · Anterastes · Anthracites · Aphractus · Aphroptera · Arantia · Arethaea · Arnobia · Arytropteris · Aspidonotus · Atlanticus · Austrophlugis · Axizicus · Banza · Barbitistes · Belocephalus · Bentius · Bicolorana · Bienkoxenus · Biroa · Brachyinsara · Bradyornis · Bradyporus · Broughtonia · Brunneana · Brunneriana · Bucephaloptera · Bucrates · Buettneria · Caedicia · Calamoptera · Callicrania · Callimenellus · Calopterusa · Capnobotes · Carliphisis · Catoptropteryx · Cecidophagula · Ceraia · Cethomadarus · Choeroparnops · Chondroderella · Clasma · Climacoptera · Clonia · Cnemidophyllum · Cocconotus · Colobotettix · Colossopus · Conchotopoda · Conocephalus · Copiphorini · Coptaspis · Cosmetura · Cosmophyllum · Cratioma · Cymatomera · Cymatomerella · Cyrtaspis · Daedalellus · Daedalus · Dasylistroscelis · Dasyscelidius · Dasyscelus · Debrona · Decma · Decticita · Decticus · Dectinomima · Deflorita · Deracantha · Deracanthella · Despoina · Dichopetala · Dicranostomus · Diophanes · Drepanophyllum · Drymadusa · Ducetia · Dysonia · Elimaea · Enconocephalus · Entacanthodes · Enyaliopsis · Eoxizicus · Ephippiger · Ephippigerida · Ephippitytha · Eremopedes · Euconocephalus · Eumecopoda · Eupholidoptera · Eurycorypha · Eurygnathus · Exora · Gabonella · Gampsocleis · Gonyatopus · Grigoriora · Gryporhynchus · Hetrodes · Hexacentrus · Himerta · Holochlira · Holochlora · Hoplomachus · Horatosphaga · Hubbellia · Idiostatus · Insara · Inscudderia · Ischyra · Isoimon · Isophya · Kawanphila · Kuwayamaea · Lea · Leptoderes · Leptoteratura · Liara · Liparoscelis · Lophaspis · Macrolyristes · Malkinia · Mastophyllum · Meconema · Mecopoda · Megalodon · Megalotheca · Meneghalia · Metaplastes · Metrioptera · Microcentrum · Microtettigonia · Micta · Mioacris · Molpa · Monteiroa · Montezumina · Namaquadectes · Neduba · Neobarrettia · Neoconocephalus · Nesocnemis · Odontoxiphidium · Odontura · Ommatoptera · Onomarchus · Orchelimum · Orophus · Orphania · Panacanthus · Paracyrtophyllus · Parangara · Paraphyllomimus · Parapleminia · Pediodectes · Peranabrus · Phalangium · Phaneroptera · Phaneropterinae · Philophyllia · Pholidoptera · Phylloptera · Phyllozelus · Phyrama · Plagiostira · Platenia · Platycleis · Platylyra · Platyphyllum · Platystolus · Poecilimon · Polyancistrus · Polysarcus · Praephippigera · Pseudophyllinae · Pseudorhynchus · Psorodonotus · Psyrana · Pterolepis · Pterophylla · Pycnogaster · Pycnopalpa · Pyrgocorypha · Rhacocleis · Ruspolia · Saga · Sasima · Sathrophyllia · Schedocentrus · Schizonotinus · Schochia · Scudderia · Steirodon · Steiroxys · Steropleurus · Stibaroptera · Stilpnochlora · Tegra · Temnophyllus · Terpandrus · Tessellana · Tettigonia · Thamnotrizon · Thyreonotus · Triencentrus · Trigonocorypha · Turpilia · Turpiliodes · Tylopsis · Tympanophyllum · Tympanoptera · Typophyllum · Uchuca · Uromenus · Vetralla · Xenica · Xestophrys · Xiphelimum · Xiphidiola · Xiphidiopsis · Yersinella · Yungasacris · Zabalius · Zitsikama
Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 1,624 species and subspecies in the Family Tettigoniidae.

Tettigoniidae

Overview

Refences

Photo Gallery

External Links

Photos

Taxonomy

Genera

Abaxinicephora

Abaxisotima

Abrodiaeta

Acanthacara

Acantheremus

Acanthodis

Acanthoplus

Acanthoprion

Acanthoproctus

Acauloplacella

Acauloplax

Acra

Acrephyllum

Acripeza

Acrodonta

Acrometopa

Acrophyllum

Adapantus

Aglaothorax

Alfredectes

Alison

Alloteratura

Amacroxiphus

Amblycorypha

Amphiestris

Amytta

Amyttosa

Anabrus

Anadrymadusa

Analota

Anaulacomera

Anaulocomera

Anelytra

Anepisceptus

Aniara

Anoedopoda

Anonconotus

Antaxius

Anterastes

Anthracites

Aphractus

Aphroptera

Arantia

Arethaea

Arnobia

Arytropteris

Aspidonotus

Atlanticus

Austrophlugis

Axizicus

Banza

Barbitistes

Belocephalus

Bentius

Bicolorana

Bienkoxenus

Biroa

Brachyinsara

Bradyornis

Bradyporus

Broughtonia

Brunneana

Brunneriana

Bucephaloptera

Bucrates

Buettneria

Caedicia

Calamoptera

Callicrania

Callimenellus

Calopterusa

Capnobotes