AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Orthoptera

Discussions and information on all Southern African Invertebrates

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Re: AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Photo

Post by Klipspringer »

Grasshopper Phaeocatantops sp. or Cantatops sp.
Family: Acrididae. Subfamily: Catantopinae. Tribe: Catantopini


Image © nan
Kruger National Park

Links:
http://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/or ... oratus.htm
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1108368
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25078305?s ... b_contents


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Re: AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Photo

Post by Klipspringer »

Bird Locust
Suborder Caelifera. Infraorder Acrididea. Superfamily Acridoidea. Family Acrididae. Subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae

Image © BluTuna
Nymph, garden in Randburg

Links:
http://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/or ... idinae.htm


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Re: AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Photo

Post by Klipspringer »

Agile Grasshopper Rhachitopis sp.
Family: Acrididae. Subfamily Euryphyminae

Image © ExFmem
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

The Euryphyminae is an endemic grasshopper subfamily in sub-Saharan Africa. Morphologically they are adapted to arid regions: they are relatively robust, small to medium sized (body length: 15–28 mm) compared to other grasshoppers. Both sexes either have wings which surpass the end of the abdomen in length, or short wings which just cover the tympanum. In most species, internal hind femora of both sexes are coloured black when mature and many species also have colourful hind wings and tibiae. When at rest, they camouflage with their environment because their bodies are either spotted or darkly coloured.
It has been suggested that Euryphyminae use their colourful body characters for intraspecific communication, most likely as a sexual display, as all colourful body parts are hidden while at rest but can be displayed strategically during flight or movement.
The Euryphyminae subfamily was erected by Dirsh (1956) based on its distinct ephiphallus and unusual male cercus.
Euryphyminae is a southern African endemic subfamily which consists of 23 genera and 48 species.

The genus Rhachitopis comprises 9 species in South Africa.

Distribution
Rachitopis.jpg
Rachitopis.jpg (50.81 KiB) Viewed 2879 times
Links:
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/c8f4/1 ... 17370f.pdf
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1113307


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Re: AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Photo

Post by Klipspringer »

Meadow Katydid Conocephalus sp.
Family: Tettigoniidae. Subfamily: Conocephalinae. Tribe: Conocephalini

0002.jpg
0002.jpg (196.1 KiB) Viewed 2485 times
0001.jpg
Female © Richprins

Meadow Kaydids of the tribe Conocephalini are medium sized slender katydids. Tegmina and hind wings developed or shortened.
Most species occur in grassy areas. The dominant genus is Conocephalus which is cosmopolitan in its distribution.

The conehead katydids (subfamily Conocephalinae), so named for the hypognathous faces giving the head a cone-like appearance.


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AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts

Post by Klipspringer »

Giant Burrowing Cricket, Tobacco Cricket Brachytrupes membranaceus
Suborder: Ensifera. Superfamily Grylloidea. Family: Gryllidae. Subfamily: Gryllinae

Image © Toko
Tembe Elephant Park, KZN


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Re: AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Photo

Post by Klipspringer »

Agile Grasshopper possibly Amblyphymus sp.
Family: Acrididae. Subfamily Euryphyminae

Image © Sprocky
Grietjie Private Reserve, Limpopo

Image © Sprocky
Female (left) and male. Grietjie Private Reserve, Limpopo

The Euryphyminae (Orthoptera: Acrididae) include 23 genera and approximately 90 species, 80% of which are endemic to southern Africa.
Many of the species are specialized to southern Africa’s arid regions such as the Karoo and Kalahari semi-deserts, and are often the most abundant insects encountered in these regions. They are found on open ground or at the base of shrubs in habitats ranging from bare, gravelly or rocky with very sparse vegetation, to habitats with thick, scrubby fynbos vegetation.
Male Euryphyminae have species-specific, complex, three-dimensional cerci, and a jointed epiphallus, cerci with large basal articulation and strongly sclerotized supra-anal plate.

Most Euryphyminae are relatively small to medium-sized in comparison with other South African grasshoppers (body length: 15–28 mm), often robust, brachypterous or macropterous, have colorful or banded hind wings, and hind femora which are colored. The flashy colors of the hind wings and internal hind femora are used for intraspecific communication, most likely in order to attract mates. Their integument is often darkly-colored and mottled, providing camouflage with their bare and gravelly environments. They have somewhat enlarged eyes.

The genus Amblyphymus was erected by Uvarov (1922) based on the structure of both male and female genitalia and shape of hind legs. This genus is related to Rhachitopis . This genus has seven described species, five have records of occurrence in South Africa: Amblyphymus matopo, Amblyphymus roseus, Amblyphymus rubidus, Amblyphymus rubripes, Amblyphymus transvaalicus.

Amblyphygmus.jpg
Amblyphygmus.jpg (54.44 KiB) Viewed 2345 times
Integrative taxonomy of the endemic Karoo agile grasshoppers, the Euryphyminae. Tshililo, Precious (2018-03)

Links:
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1113211
https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/103480
https://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/han ... sAllowed=y


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Re: AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae

Post by Klipspringer »

Oblong-eyed Leaf Katydid Eurycorypha sp
Family: Tettigoniidae. Subfamily: Phaneropterinae

Eurycorypha nymph.jpg
Eurycorypha nymph.jpg (160.59 KiB) Viewed 2285 times
Ant-mimicking katydid nymph from Kruger National Park, Shingwedzi © BluTuna

The genus Eurycorypha is indigenous to Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. It is the most species-rich Phaneropterinae genus in Africa, with at least 10 species in South Africa.


Links:
http://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/or ... orypha.htm


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Re: AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Eumastacoidea, Thericleidae

Post by Klipspringer »

Bushhopper without a name Lophothericles sp. Possibly P. modestus
Superfamily Eumastacoidea. Family: Thericleidae. Subfamily: Thericleinae. Tribe: Lophothericleini

Lophothericles.jpg
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Female, Kruger National Park, Gomondwane loop © BluTuna


Thericleidae are a family of tiny, flightless stocky grasshoppers with very short antennae and powerful hind legs in the superfamily Eumastacoidea.

Members of the superfamily Eumastacoidea are commonly referred to as monkey grasshoppers because of the characteristic shape of their heads and their peculiar stance, in which they spread their hind legs when sitting. Eumastacoids are relatively small in size (less than 4.5 cm) and can be recognized by their short antennae; lack of a basioccipital slit in the head; spined, serrulate, or dorsally tuberculate metatarsi; the lack of an abdominal tympanum; and highly complex male phallic structures.
Currently, seven families (two families in Southern Africa: Euschmidtiidae and Thericleidae) with 268 genera and 1045 species are recognized, most of which are known from the tropics.

The Thericleidae are uniquely Afrotropical relatives of the true grasshoppers (Acroidea), many of which - largely because they are so rarely noticed - have never been recorded since their original descriptions. Only one single species has been assessed by the IUCN, Acanthothericles bicoloripes (Critically Endangered) - and most have tiny known ranges and limited mobility, and seem primed for silent extinctions. Despite their diversity, there is currently little or no taxonomic expertise for this group. It is impossible to identify these little hoppers in the field to genus or species level. And many genera display sexual dimorphism. Females are often less vividly colored than males. Most likely the PGW field guide has a couple of errors in their Thericleidae chapter (as per the experts). 0*\

The family Thericleidae is characterized by a short and stout body, short rostrum of the head with a furrowed apex, short hind femur with heavy dorsal spines, and hind tibia with four (some sources say two) well‐developed apical spurs. Consisting of six subfamilies with 57 genera and 220 species, thericleids can be found mostly on trees, shrubs or bushes, often in thickets or woodland in dry habitats south of the Sahara in Africa.

Forty-one species are decribed in the genus Lophothericles, distributed through southern and East Africa, with 22 species native to southern Africa.

Sadly this hopper does not have a common name. But with insects, it is extremely unusual to find a species which has its very own common name. Sometimes, this applies to the entire family or as in this case to the genus Lophothericles.
The first element of the scientific generic name part 'Thericles' is a common ancient Greek name, probably derived from Greek verb θερίζω (therizo) meaning "to mow, to reap, to harvest, as well as "to do summer work". It is ultimately derived from the Greek noun θέρος (theros) meaning "summer". The second element of this name is derived from Greek κλεος (kleos) meaning "glory, fame". As such, the meaning of this name is "glorious summer harvester". The part 'lopho' is an affix (word-forming element) used in science from 19c. Ancient Greek λόφος (lóphos) refers to a bird's crest or a neck of draught animals and men. For our hopper, it refers to the crest on the pronotum.

How about 'Crested Glorious Summer Reaper' for a common name? =O:
You are welcome to suggest your fav. common name 0/*


Links:
Biodiversity Explorer
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1119041
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/th ... servations


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Re: AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Photo

Post by Klipspringer »

Digging Grasshopper Acrotylus sp.
Family: Acrididae. Subfamily: Oedipodinae. Tribe: Acrotylini

Image © ExFmem
Kruger National Park

Genus Acrotylus
Body length 20 - 30 mm. Cryptic brown and tan in color, with large bulging eyes. The middle legs are elongated for digging. Hind legs with black bands. Hind wings are red or blue with a black border.

These grasshoppers partially bury themselves when wind picks up. When disturbed, they make short flights, displaying colourful hindwings.
Two generations per year.
Acrotylus spp. favour sandy areas, including agricultural land and homesteads.
19 species native to southern Africa.

Links:
http://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/or ... otylus.htm
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1104086
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10. ... 6.11448403


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Re: AW Insect Book: Crickets, Grasshoppers & Locusts - Orthoptera

Post by Klipspringer »

Tree Locust Anacridium sp. possibly Anacridium rehni
Suborder Caelifera. Infraorder Acrididea. Superfamily Acridoidea. Family Acrididae. Subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae. Tribe Cyrtacanthacridini.

Anacridium.jpg
Anacridium.jpg (175.13 KiB) Viewed 1626 times
Kruger National Park © nan

Anacridium rehni Dirsh Uvarov.jpg
Anacridium rehni Dirsh Uvarov.jpg (131.5 KiB) Viewed 1626 times

Five species of Anacridium are native to southern Africa. The genus includes 13 species. They occur predominantly in Africa.
In Anacridium species, the eyes are light reddish brown in color and have 7 or 8 dark longitudinal stripes.
The pronotum is obtuse-angled in front, obtuse-angled to slightly acute-angled behind. The raised central keel is often lighter. The disc (dorsal surface of the pronotum) slopes down from the central keel to the sulcus in a roof shape.
The elytra have small spots.
The dorsal and ventral edges of the hind femora are finely serrated. The hind tibia have 8 or 9 spines dorsally on the outside and 10 spines and an apical spine on the inside.



Description of Anacridium rehni (by Dirsh/Uvarov 1953):
Body length 52-69 mm, the female is larger.
Median carina of pronotum well raised weakly convex in profile and moderately incised by transverse sulci; prozona slightly compressed; metazona moderately widened behind, its posterior margin broadly rounded; lower margin of the lateral lobe oblique and scarcely sinuate.
Prosternal tubercle at the base compressed laterally, in the apical portion subcylindrical, with obtuse conical apex.
Elytron moderately produced beyond the apex of the abdomen, comparatively short. Wing comparatively short and broad.
Hind femur moderately narrow, ratio of length to width 4:9. Arolium very large, twice as long as a claw.
Colouration light brown. Antenna brownish. Elytron with more or less distinct dark spots. Basal disc of wing light greenish yellow with a weak infumate fascia which is rather near the external margin of the wing; apical part colourless; venation and reticulation in the basal disc greenish-yellow, in the rest dark.
Hind tibia above and inside violet-grey, external tibial spines on both sides and inner side of internal spines at the base pale yellowish, then diffuse reddish-orange with dark apex; outside of the internal spines reddish-orange with dark apex.



Links:
http://www.biodiversityexplorer.info/or ... ridium.htm
http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Commo ... ID=1112460
https://digital.csic.es/bitstream/10261 ... 01-001.pdf


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