Glossary of Terms

Abdomen

Division of an animal’s body that lies behind the thorax. Distal section of an insects body

Acquiescence

Form of arrested development. Unlike diapause, acquiescence ends as soon as conditions become favourable

Acrididae

Short-horn grasshoppers. Family of Orthoptera with short antennae

Antennae

Pair of appendages connected to the head of an insect functioning as sensory organs

Brachypterous

Short-winged

Caelifera

Grasshoppers. Suborder of Orthoptera

Cerci

Paired appendages on the final (abdominal) segments of many insects. Cerci are often used as sensory organs but can also be used for defence or mating. In some cases they are vestigial (lost original function) structures.

Cricket

Gryllidae. Family of Orthoptera

Dermaptera

Earwigs. Order of insects

Diapause

Form of arrested development. Unlike acquiescence, diapause is not terminated even if ambient conditions are suitable for insect activity

Dictyoptera

Superorder comprising cockroaches, mantids and termites

Dorsal

Upperside of an animal

Ecdysis

Moulting, shedding of exoskeleton (“skin”) by an insect

Ensifera

Crickets, bush crickets and katydids. Suborder of Orthoptera

Endopterygotes

Insects that undergo complete metamorphosis (life cycle has a pupal stage) also referred to as holometabolous

Entomopathogen

Insect disease (bacterial, fungal, viral, microsporidial)

Exopterygote

Insects that undergo partial metamorphosis (adults and nymphal stages superficially resemble one another) also referred to as hemimetabolous

Grasshopper

Caelifera. Family of Orthoptera

Gryllidae

Crickets. Family of Orthoptera

Hemimetabolous

Insects that undergo partial (or incomplete) metamorphosis (adults and nymphal stages superficially resemble one another) also referred to as exoterygotes

Herbivory

Consumption of plants (and other autotrophs)

Holometabolous

Insects that undergo complete metamorphosis (life cycle has a pupal stage) also referred to as endopterygotes

Hybrid zones

Formed after the ice age as ice retreated and Orthoptera species, that had been restricted to ice free locations in southern Europe, were able to expand across Europe forming hybrid zones as genetically distinct populations met

Incomplete metamorphosis

Insects that undergo partial metamorphosis (adults and nymphal stages superficially resemble one another) also referred to as exoterygotes or hemimetabolous

Instar

Developmental stage of insect between each moult (ecdysis)

Long-horn grasshoppers

Tettigoniidae. Family of Orthoptera with long antennae (can exceed body length)

Macropterous

Long-winged

Natural enemies

Mortality agents such as predators, parasitoids and entomopathogens (diseases)

Nymphs

Immature stage of a hemimetabolous (exopterygote) insect

Omnivory

Consumption of plants and animals. Omnivores are generalist feeders and opportunistic “Eating everything”

Orthoptera

Order of insects comprising grasshoppers, crickets and locusts

Oviposition

Egg laying

Ovipositor

Organ (structure) used by female insects for egg laying (oviposition)

Parasitoids

An organism that spends a significant portion of life attached to or within a single host which it ultimately kills (and often consumes)

Phasmida (Phasmatodea)

Stick insects. Phasmatodea. Order of insects

Pronotum

Dorsal (upper) component (sclerites or skeletal plates) of the prothorax of an insect. In some insects the pronotum covers the entire thorax

Short-horn grasshoppers

Acrididae. Family of Orthoptera with short antennae

Spermatophore

Capsule or mass containing the male sperm transferred to the female during copulation

Stridulation

Production of sound through rubbing together two body parts. Orthoptera song is produced through stridulation. A typical stridulatory mechanism consists of a file (series of pegs) and a scraper (thickened ridge). Rubbing together of the file and scraper produces the characteristic sound of Orthoptera.

Tettigoniidae

Long-horn grasshoppers. Family of Orthoptera with long antennae (can exceed body length)

Thorax

Division of an animals body that lies between the head and the abdomen

Ventral

Lower surface

Vermiform larvae

Newly emerged nymphs are surrounded by a protective embryonic cuticle (a thin membranous sleeve). At the soil surface that the embryonic cuticle is shed and the first instar nymph emerges.