Temporal range: Late Permian–Recent The grasshopper is an insect
of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To
distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes
referred to as the short-horned grasshopper. Species that change
colour and behaviour at high population densities are called
locusts. Grasshoppers have antennae that are generally shorter
than their body and short ovipositors. They also have pinchers
or mandibles that cut and tear off food. Those species that make
easily heard noises usually do so by rubbing the hind femurs
against the forewings or abdomen (stridulation), or by snapping
the wings in flight. Tympana, if present, are on the sides of
the first abdominal segment. The hind femora are typically long
and strong, fitted for leaping. Generally they are winged, but
hind wings are membranous while front wings (tegmina) are
coriaceous and not fit for flight. Females are normally larger
than males, with short ovipositors. Males have a single unpaired
plate at the end of the a