Major Families

A. Acrididae (short-horned grasshoppers and locusts) :

Herbivores. Common in grasslands and prairies. This family includes many pest species such as the twostriped grasshopper (Melanoplus bivittatus), the differential grasshopper (M. differentialis), the African migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), and the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria).

B. Tettigoniidae (long-horned grasshoppers and katydids):

Herbivores. Females have a long, blade-like ovipositor. Some species are pests of trees and shrubs.

C. Gryllidae (true crickets):

Herbivores and scavengers. Females have a cylindrical or needle-shaped ovipositor. This family includes the house cricket, Acheta domesticus.

D. Gryllotalpidae (mole crickets):

The front legs are adapted for digging. Most species feed on the roots of plants, but some are predatory.