Grasshopper

Grasshopper, a group of insects belonging to the order Orthoptera (q.v.). They are represented in England by two families, the Locustidce and the Gnjllidce. The commonest and most familiar forms are the small green grasshoppers belonging to the Locustidce; the commonest English species is Rhammaticerus biguttulus (Linn.). This family is characterised by the length of the antennas or feelers, and by having four joints in the tarsal portion of the leg. The Gryllidce are as a rule larger than the Locustidce; thus one English species, the great green grasshopper (Phasyonura viridissima, Linn.) measures 4 inches in expanse of wing; the members of this family all possess an ovipositor - a sharp tube by means of which it deposits its eggs in a suitable nidus. Most of the grasshoppers can make a slight chirping noise, but in some of the Gryllidce this attains a high degree of development: thus some of the Brazilian species (e.g. Chloroscclus tanana) are kept in cages on account of their song.