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Katydid GRASSHOPPERS & KATYDIDS
Critter Files/Insects/Grasshoppers & Katydids
By Blake Newton
University of Kentucky Department of Entomology
   
Common Kentucky Grasshoppers & Katydids:
 
TAXONOMY

KINGDOM: Animalia | PHYLUM: Arthropoda | CLASS: Insecta | ORDER: Orthoptera (grasshoppers and crickets)

 
WHAT IS A GRASSHOPPER?
LIFE CYCLE
ECOLOGY
PEST STATUS
COMMON KENTUCKY GRASSHOPPERS & KATYDIDS
COLLECTING & PHOTOGRAPHY
GRASSHOPPER FACTS
MYTHS, LEGENDS, AND FOLKLORE
 
WHAT IS A GRASSHOPPER?

Like all insects, grasshoppers have 6 legs, 2 antennae, and 3 body parts.  Grasshoppers are distinctive because of their large back legs. In fact, jumping legs like these are only found on crickets, grasshoppers, and their relatives.  These insects also have leathery front wings (called "tegmina") which help protect the delicate back wings.  Females have a long "ovipositor" at the tip of their abdomens which is used to lay eggs.

WHAT IS A KATYDID?
Katydids are types of large grasshoppers in the family Tettigoniidae, which includes all of the long-horned grasshoppers.

Grasshoppers are very closely related to crickets, and it can be difficult to tell them apart.  Although grasshoppers are often bright green, and most crickets are brown, there are plenty of exceptions.  In fact, grasshoppers and crickets are so closely related that some of the insects that we call "grasshoppers" are actually more closely related to crickets than they are to other grasshoppers.

The best way to identify grasshoppers is to become familiar with the different families.  There are three main families: Acrididae (short-horned grasshoppers), Tettigoniidae (long-horned grasshoppers and katydids), and Tetrigidae (pygmy grasshoppers).  See the common types section below for more information about each of these groups.

SIZE: Body length of Kentucky grasshoppers from ½" - 2" long
 
LIFE CYCLE

Simple metamorphosis: young grasshoppers hatch from eggs and resemble small, wingless adults.  Grasshoppers shed their skins as they grow, usually molting several times before emerging as winged adults.  Most short-horned grasshoppers lay eggs in the soil, but some species place eggs inside plant stems.  Male grasshoppers "chirp" to attract females.  The familiar chirping sound is produced with a "stridulating organ" located at the base of the wings.  Pictured below are typical nymphs of long-horned and short-horned grasshoppers.

 
Long-horned Grasshopper Nymph
Long-horned grasshopper nymph
(B. Newton, 2003)
Short-horned Grasshopper Nymph
Short-horned grasshopper nymph
(B. Newton, 2003)
 
Katydid eggs and hatchling
Katydid eggs and hatchling (B. Newton, 2004)
 
ECOLOGY

Most grasshoppers are herbivores, and feed on many plant species, including crops like corn, tobacco, and some vegetables.  They are very common in Kentucky, and are an important food source for many animals, including spiders, centipedes, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals.  Most grasshoppers are active during the day, and are common in sunny habitats that are covered with low-growing vegetation.

 
PEST STATUS

Although grasshoppers can sometimes be serious pests of cultivated plants, they are rarely a major concern in Kentucky. Read more about Pest Grasshoppers in Kentucky.

 
 
COMMON KENTUCKY GRASSHOPPERS & KATYDIDS

SHORT-HORNED GRASSHOPPERS
FAMILY: Acrididae
Short-horned grasshoppers are probably the most commonly encountered grasshoppers in Kentucky.  Short-horned grasshoppers are so-called because their antennae are short compared to the antennae of long-horned grasshoppers: the antennae of long-horned grasshoppers are usually longer than the body, but the antennae of short-horned grasshoppers are rarely more than half the length of the body.  Shown below are typical examples of short-horned grasshoppers.

 
Short-Horned Grasshopper
Short-Horned Grasshopper (R. Bessin, 2002)
Short-Horned Grasshopper
Short-Horned Grasshopper (R. Bessin, 2002)

LONG-HORNED GRASSHOPPERS & KATYDIDS
FAMILY: Tettigoniidae
Long-Horned Grasshoppers look very similar to short-horned grasshoppers, except that they have longer antennae (usually longer than thier bodies).  They are not encountered as often as short-horned grasshoppers, but they are still very common.

 
Long-Horned Grasshopper
Long-Horned Grasshopper (R. Bessin, 2002)
 

Katydids: Although they are large and distinctive, Katydids are really just a type of long-horned grasshopper.  Katydids tend to be very large compared to other grasshoppers, and are known for their song: katy-did-katy-didn't, which is sung by both males and females in some katydid species.

 
Katydid
Katydid (R. Bessin, 2002)
PYGMY GRASSHOPPERS
FAMILY:Tetrigidae

Pygmy grasshoppers look like miniature short-horned grasshoppers.  They are usually less than 1/2" long, and are characterized by a long shield (part of their pronotum) which extends all the way down the abdomen.
 
Pygmy Grasshopper
Pygmy Grasshopper (B. Newton, 2002)
 
COLLECTING & PHOTOGRAPHY

During summer months, grasshoppers are easy to find and collect.  Look for them during the hottest parts of the day in gardens, crops, tall grass, and weedy areas, where they can be seen jumping and flying away from you as you walk past.  They are quick to escape, so you may need an insect net to catch one.  Or, you could look for grasshoppers on cool summer mornings, before they have "warmed up" enough to move quickly.  This is also a good time to snap a photograph.

 
GRASSHOPPER FACTS

Although grasshoppers have large jumping legs, they also have wings, and most species can fly very well.  In fact, most grasshoppers just use their legs as a "booster" to get them off of the ground; after that, they can use their wings to fly.

 
MYTHS - LEGENDS - FOLKLORE

Sometimes when you pick up a grasshopper, dark fluid will come out of the insect's mouth.  Because grasshoppers are sometimes found in tobacco, it is sometimes said that this fluid is "tobacco juice", and that the grasshopper is "spitting" at you because it is mad.  As it turns out, most grasshoppers can produce this fluid, even if they haven't been eating tobacco.  It is not tobacco juice though: it is a defensive chemical produced inside the grasshopper.

 

Original document: 25 May 2004
Last updated: 25 May 2004

Photos courtesy R. Bessin and B. Newton, University of Kentucky
The Kentucky Critter Files are maintained by Blake Newton, Department of Entomology, University of Kentucky.
Contact: blaken@uky.edu

University of Kentucky Entomology/Kentucky Critter Files/Kentucky Insects/Grasshoppers & Katydids