AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Orthoptera

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Bushhopper Schulthessiella minuta
Superfamily Eumastacoidea. Family Thericleidae. Subfamily Thericleinae. Tribe Schulthessiellini

© Lisbeth
Female, Kruger National Park

© Klipspringer
Male, Kruger National Park

Thericleidae are small stocky grasshoppers with very short antennae and powerful hind legs. They have 2 well-developed spurs at inner ends of hind tibiae.
They occur on shrubs and small trees rather than grasses.

Common genera in Southern Africa:
Megalithericles, Thericlesiella, Barythericles, Lophothericles, Whitea, Xenothericles, Dysidiothericles, Microthericles, Icmalides, Mistothericles, Nepiothericles, Pseudothericles, Stenothericles, Raphithericles, Schulthessiella, Thericles, Athlithericles, Bufothericles

There are six species in the genus, all endemic to the eastern parts of southern Africa:
Schulthessiella difficilis
Schulthessiella forficata
Schulthessiella longicornis
Schulthessiella minuta
Schulthessiella odzaniae
Schulthessiella sellata

According to Descamps (Descamps. 1977. Ann. Mus. Roy. Afr. Cent. 8(216) Zool.:299) Schulthessiella minuta is the only Schulthessiella recorded within South Africa.
Schulthessiella minuta male las long terminal sub-genital lobes, strongly narrowed towards the tip (which is itself strongly curved inwards and downwards). The hind femur is very large with strongly laterally compressed upper carène (ridge).


Links:
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1119124
Biodiversity Explorer

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Long-legged Armoured Katydid Acanthoplus longipes
Family: Tettigoniidae. Subfamily Heterodinae


The Hetrodinae are distributed all over Africa and neighbouring areas and are called armoured ground crickets because of spikes on their pronotum and legs. These crickets are flightless with rudimentary wings that are covered under the pronotum. Acanthoplus longipes (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Hetrodinae) is

Description
A dark grey-brown and ventrally yellow-green cricket with spines only on the pronotum.

Distribution
Acanthoplus longipes is widespread in Namibia but is also present in the northernmost regions of Northern Cape Province, South Africa, southern Angola, and may possibly occur in Botswana.

Habitat
Semi-arid and arid habitats and grassland including the Kalahari and Namib Deserts.

Links:
https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/8508844.pdf
Checklist: The Armoured Crickets (Orthoptera: Bradyporidae) of South Africa

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Family Thericleidae
Thericleidae is a family of Orthoptera grasshoppers (Infraorder: Acrididea, Superfamily: Eumastacoidea), found in Africa.
Small hoppers, very similar to Euschmidtiids, but distinguished by 2 well developed spurs at inner ends of hind tibiae.
They occur on shrubs and small trees rather than grasses.
78 species reported from the region.

Links: Orthoptera Species File


Species recorded from South Africa:
Megalithericles coloratus Namibia "Fish River Canyon"
Thericlesiella granulata South Africa Strandfontein WC
Thericlesiella meridionalis South Africa
Barythericles pumilus Namibia, Prince of Wales Bay
Lophothericles armatus Limpopo, Tshipise
Lophothericles browni South Africa Transvaal, N. Transvaal, 6 m. S.E. Messina
Lophothericles euchore South Africa Drakensberg, Shilouvane
Lophothericles faurei South Africa Transvaal, "Reitspruit Marico" (?)
Lophothericles flavifrons South Africa, Pretoria
Lophothericles fuscus Botswana Botswana, Bechuanaland: Kalahari, Bonche
Lophothericles magnus South Africa Transvaal, Mica L
Lophothericles marginatus South Africa Transvaal, Bandelierkop L
Lophothericles modestus South Africa Transvaal, Skukuza L
Lophothericles mucronatus South Africa Transvaal, Forêt d'Entabeni L
Lophothericles pallens South Africa Transvaal, Hoedspruit L
Lophothericles punctulatus South Africa ?
Whitea alticeps KwaZulu-Natal, Ubombo KZN
Whitea coniceps South Africa KwaZulu-Natal, Nongoma KZN
Whitea crassipes South Africa Cape Province, Breakfast? [Bed and Breakfast?] ?
Whitea fissicauda Transvaal, Nelshoogte M
Xenothericles gibbosus South Africa Aberdeen EC
Xenothericles humilis South Africa: Miller Station EC
Dysidiothericles soni South Africa: Vioolsdrif NC
Microthericles fascipes South Africa Murraysburg WC
Icmalides browni Namibia, Sud-Ouest Africain, Karabib
Mistothericles whitei South Africa Transvaal, N. Transvaal, 6 m. N.E. Haenertsburg. L
Nepiothericles annulipes South Africa Cape Province, Allan Dale WC
Nepiothericles karrooensis South Africa Cape Province, Koup Area ?
Nepiothericles minimus South Africa Cape Province, Miller Station EC
Nepiothericles nigropictus South Africa Cape Province, Twee Rivieren NC
Nepiothericles oculatus South Africa Cape Province, Jansenville EC
Nepiothericles puberulus Namibia: Damaraland
Nepiothericles uvarovi South Africa Cape Province, Windsorton NC
Pseudothericles compressifrons Namibia, Damaraland
Pseudothericles jallae Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Malawi Zambezi River ?
Stenothericles crassifemur South Africa: Rosslyn G
Stenothericles orangensis South Africa Free State, Bloemfontein, Orange Free State FS
Raphithericles cuneatus South Africa Transvaal, Nylstroom L
Raphithericles rotundatus South Africa Transvaal, Nylstroom L
Schulthessiella minuta South Africa Transvaal, Drakensberg, Shilouvane L
Thericles consperus Namibia, Windhoek
Thericles flavoangulatus Botswana Botswana, Sepopa
Thericles maculipes Namibia, Gobeon
Thericles miserabilis Namibia, Dsab-Kuiseb River
Thericles obtusifrons Namibia, Damaraland
Athlithericles concordiae South Africa: Concordia NC
Bufothericles terreus South Africa Province du Cap ?

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Bush Hopper Lophothericles cf modestus
Infraorder Acrididea. Superfamily Eumastacoidea. Superfamily Family Thericleidae. Subfamily Thericleinae. Tribe Thericleini

© Richprins
Male, Kruger National Park, Biyamiti Loop

Type locality: Africa, Southern Africa, Kruger National Park, Skukuza

Links:
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1119070
http://biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org/wp ... optera.xls
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/th ... servations

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African or Mediterranean Field Cricket, Common Garden Cricket Gryllus bimaculatus
Suborder: Ensifera. Family: Gryllidae.

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park, Crocodile Bridge

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Common Milkweed Locust Phymateus morbillosus
Suborder: Caelifera. Infraorder: Acrididea. Superfamily: Pyrgomorphoidea. Family: Pyrgomorphidae. Tribe: Phymateini

© arks
Darling Hills Road, Western Cape

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Rain Locust Lamarckiana sp.
Suborder Caelifera. Superfamily Acridoidea. Family Pamphagidae. Subfamily Porthetinae

© BluTuna
Male. Kruger National Park, Crocodile Bridge Camp


https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... 0/download

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True Leaf Katydid Zabalius sp.
Family: Tettigoniidae. Subfamily: Pseudophyllinae

© Hawkeyes
Kruger National Park, Lower Sabie

Zabalius is a genus of true katydids. Its distribution is essentially Afrotropical. They are generally heavily built and large (body length 60 mm), tree-dwelling herbivorous katydids, capable of flight and bright green. They mimic the colouration and markings of the leaves to a remarkable degree. Their thin antennae exceed body length, they have 4-segmented tarsi and ears are located on the front tibiae.

Links:
Orthoptera Species Files

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Armoured Katydid Acanthoplus discoidalis
Family: Bradyporidae. Subfamily Heterodinae

© PJL
Kruger National Park, Satara

© Mel
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Description
A wide-bodied, flightless species that typically grows to a body length of about 5 cm. The pronotum bears several sharp, conical spines. The mandibles, or main biting jaws, are powerful; they can inflict a painful nip and they permit the insect to feed on material such as tough herbage or carrion.
This species is omnivorous and feeds opportunistically on many different foods. Especially when their diet is deficient in protein and salt, members of the species commonly become cannibalistic
These Katydids have an arsenal of defence mechanisms in response to attack. Males but not females can stridulate when attacked, while both sexes will bite and regurgitate or squirt toxic blood which in insects is called haemolymph, from gaps in their exoskeleton on their backs and under their legs upon provocation.

Distribution
Acanthoplus discoidalis is fairly widespread throughout Botswana, Namibia, and Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Small populations are also found in the Western and Eastern Cape Provinces of South Africa.

Habitat
The species is generally associated with very dry, sparsely vegetated habitats, including the Kalahari and Namib Deserts, Succulent and Nama Karoo and Fynbos biomes.

Links: Checklist: The Armoured Crickets (Orthoptera: Bradyporidae) of South Africa; Walker, Matt (28 July 2009). "Insect defence all blood and guts". BBC Earth News.

[Klipspringer]

Green Stinkweed Locust Phymateus viridipes viridipes
Suborder: Caelifera. Infraorder: Acrididea. Superfamily: Pyrgomorphoidea. Family: Pyrgomorphidae. Tribe: Phymateini

The genus Phymateus belongs to the family Pyrgomorphidae. These giant and colourful Orthoptera are popularly known as bush locusts or milkweed locusts. They inhabit semi-deserts with Karoo vegetation, tree savannas, as well as gardens and other cultivated areas.
All Phymateus species use a wide range of food plants, including toxic families like Euphorbiaceae, Asclepiadaceae, and Apocynaceae, as well as many crop species and garden plants.

Phymateus viridipes, Green milkweed locust.jpg (77.89 KiB) Viewed 1984 times

Nymph, Limpopo © Africa1983