Long Horned Grasshopper

In Australia, South Africa, Canada, and the United States, insects in the Tettigoniidae family are known as katydids or bush crickets. Previously, they were known as "long-horned grasshoppers." There are almost 6,400 species known. The Tettigoniidae are the only extant (alive) family in the superfamily Tettigoniidae, which belongs to the suborder Ensifera.

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They are primarily nocturnal, and their mating sounds are loud. Many katydids use mimicry and camouflage, often imitating the forms and colours of foliage. These types of grasshopper are generally green in colour therefore they are also known as green long horned grasshoppers.

Origin and History of Green Long Horned Grasshopper

The genus Tettigonia was initially described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, and the family name Tettigoniidae is derived from it. The Latin word tettigonia refers to a miniature cicada or leafhopper, and it comes from the Greek word tettigonia, which is the diminutive of the imitative (onomatopoeic) tettix, cicada. All of these names, such as tettix, are onomatopoeic, meaning they imitate the insects' stridulation. The popular name katydid is likewise onomatopoeic, and it derives from the nominate subspecies of the North American Pterophylla camellifolia, whose most common English name is the common true katydid, which has a very loud, three-pulsed song, commonly pronounced "ka-ty-did."

Description About Long Horned Grasshopper

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Tettigoniidae can be as small as 5 mm (0.20 in) and as large as 130 mm in size (5.1 in). Smaller species tend to dwell in drier, more stressful environments, which may contribute to their diminutive stature. Smaller stature is linked to increased agility, faster development, and fewer dietary requirements. Tettigoniidae are nocturnal tree-dwelling insects that are most typically heard in the summer and early fall. Tettigoniidae are distinguishable from grasshoppers by the length of their filamentous antennae, which can extend beyond the length of their bodies, whereas grasshoppers' antennae are always short and thickened.

General Characteristics of Grasshopper

Grasshoppers are insects that range in size from medium to giant. Depending on the species, adult length ranges from 1 to 7 cm. They feature biting mouthparts, two pairs of wings, one narrow and tough, the other wide and flexible, and large hind legs for jumping, just like their relatives the katydids and crickets. They vary from these groups in that their antennae are short and do not extend far back on their bodies.

Grasshoppers have wide eyes and are usually a combination of brown, grey, or green in colour to blend in with their surroundings. Males of several species have brightly coloured wings that they utilise to attract females. A few animals eat poisonous plants and store the toxins in their bodies as a form of defence. They're vividly coloured to alert predators to the fact that they're unpleasant to eat.

Female grasshoppers are larger than male grasshoppers and feature sharp spikes on the end of their abdomens to aid in the laying of eggs underneath. Male grasshoppers have specific structures on their wings that they use to generate sounds by rubbing their hind legs on or rubbing together.

Types of Grasshopper

Grasshoppers are divided into two groups:

1. long-horned grasshoppers

2. short-horned grasshoppers

Grasshoppers are classified by the length of their antennae (feelers), sometimes known as horns. Grasshoppers with short horns are commonly referred to as locusts.

Life Cycle of Long Horned Grasshopper

A katydid's lifespan is roughly a year, with complete adulthood frequently arriving late. Females often lay their eggs beneath the soil or in plant stem holes at the end of the summer. On the host plant, the eggs are usually round and deposited in rows. The shape of their ovipositor is related to the function of the ovipositor, which is to lay eggs. It is made up of up to three pairs of appendages that are developed to transfer the egg, make a location for it, and properly put it. 

Tettigoniidae have one of two types of ovipositors: sickle-shaped ovipositors that lay eggs in dead or living plant materials, or uniform long ovipositors that lay eggs in grass stems. When tettigoniidae hatch, the nymphs frequently resemble smaller versions of the adults, but in certain species, the nymphs resemble other species, such as spiders and assassin bugs, or flowers, in order to avoid predation. Only until the nymphs are large enough to avoid predation do they remain in a mimic form. They are ready to mate once they have completed their last moult.

Distribution of Long Horned Grasshopper

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Except for Antarctica, Tettigoniidae can be found on every continent. The majority of katydid species are found in tropical areas around the world. The Amazon basin rainforest, for example, is home to approximately 2000 species of katydids. Katydids, on the other hand, can be found in chilly, dry temperate zones, with roughly 255 species in North America.

Relation Between Long Horned Grasshopper and Environment

The majority of tettigoniidae species eat leaves, flowers, bark, and seeds, but many are predatory, eating other insects, snails, and even small vertebrates like snakes and lizards. Commercial crop growers consider some of them pests, and they are sprayed to control their growth, but because population densities are usually modest, a significant economic impact is unlikely.

The Tettigoniidae family of insects is a significant karuka pest (Pandanus julianettii). Segestes gracilis and Segestidea montana are leaf-eating organisms that can damage trees. To keep insects away, growers will pack leaves and grass between the crown's leaves.

It is possible to detect what type of food the tettigoniidae ingest by looking at the head and mouthparts, where changes in function can be seen. When touched, large tettigoniidae can cause a painful bite or pinch, but they seldom break the skin.

Communication

Sound-producing organs are found on the hind angles of tettigoniidae males' front wings. Females of some species are also capable of stridulation. The females chirp in response to the males' shriek. This sound is used by males during courtship, which takes place in the late summer. Stridulation is the sound made by rubbing two sections of their bodies together. One is a file or comb with rough ridges, while the other is a plectrum, which is used to generate vibration. The forewings of tettigoniidae are used to sing. Tettigoniidae produces trills, which are continuous songs. The sound produced is influenced by the size of the bug, the spacing of the ridges, and the breadth of the scraper.

Many katydids stridulate at a rate dictated by ambient temperature, allowing the number of chirps in a given period of time to yield a reasonably accurate temperature reading. The temperature in degrees Fahrenheit is calculated by multiplying the number of chirps in 15 seconds by 37 for American katydids.

Predation 

Some members of the tettigoniidae family have spines on various areas of their bodies that function in different ways. On the ventral surfaces of their bodies, the Listroscelinae feature limb spines. This serves as a temporary cage above their target's mouthparts, allowing them to confine their prey. The spines are articulated and relatively flexible, yet they have a blunt appearance. As a result, they are utilised to encircle rather than pierce the prey's body. The tibiae and femora's spines are usually more acute and non-articulated. They're more for penetrating or assisting in any defensive mechanisms they may have. This usually works in conjunction with their diurnal roosting posture to increase protection and keep predators at bay.

Defence Mechanism 

To enhance their cryptic features, tettigoniidae take a diurnal roosting posture while they rest throughout the day. Predators believe the katydid is either dead or just a leaf on the plant while it is in this position. The inside surfaces of the tegmina of certain tettigoniidae feature bright colours and black apical patches, as well as brightly coloured hind wings. When agitated, they exploit their colours to trick predators into thinking the spots are eyes by flapping their wings open. This, combined with their leaf-like appearance, allows them to blend in with their environment while also confusing predators as to which side is the front and which side is the back.

Reproductive Behaviour of Long Horned Grasshopper

The men give the females a nuptial present in the shape of a spermatophylax, a body linked to the male's spermatophore that the female consumes in order to keep her from eating the male's spermatophore and therefore increase his paternity.

Polygamy 

Polygamy is common among the Tettigoniidae. When a second man couples at the end of female sexual refractoriness, the first male is assured an unusually high level of paternity assurance. The nutrients that the children eventually absorb will help them to become more fit. The female is usually cuckolded by the second male who mates with her near the end of her refractory phase.

Competition 

Male-male competition is intense among the Tettigoniidae because of their polygamous partnerships. Male rivalry is induced by a decline in the number of males capable of providing females with nourishing spermaphylanges. Females who eat a high-quality diet develop more eggs; as a result, the female seeks for healthier males with a more nutritious spermatophylax. Females assess a man's fitness based on the sound he makes. The male's fitness increases as the trill becomes louder and more fluent.

Stress Response

In species that generate larger food presents, the female frequently seeks out males to copulate with. Females, on the other hand, pay a price for this since they risk predation while looking for males. In addition, the size of the spermatophore produced by male tettigoniidae has a cost-benefit tradeoff. Males with large spermatophores gain from being more highly selected for by females, but they can only mate one to two times during their lives. 

Male Tettigoniidae with smaller spermatophores, on the other hand, have the advantage of being able to mate two to three times per night, but have a reduced likelihood of female selection. Male Tettigoniidae continue to invest nutrients in their spermatophores even when they are under nutritional stress. 

In some species, the cost of producing spermatophore is cheap, but even in those where it isn't, lowering spermatophore quality isn't favourable because it leads to lower reproductive selection and success. Some Tettigoniidae species have a poor reproductive success rate because the female receives spermatophylax as a food gift from the male after copulation, which boosts the reproductive output of the reproduction attempt. In some circumstances, however, the female obtains few, if any, benefits.

Bush cricket reproductive behaviour has been extensively researched. The tuberous bush cricket (Platycleis affinis) has the largest testes in relation to body mass of any animal studied, according to studies. They make up 14% of the insect's body mass and are supposed to help it reproduce quickly.

Role of Long Horned Grasshopper in Environment

While grasshoppers can cause major damage to a farmer's crops, the environment would be very different without them. They perform an important function in the environment, ensuring that plants and other creatures can grow in a safer and more efficient environment. In fact, even a shift in a grasshopper's attitude can affect the ways in which he benefits the environment, demonstrating how reliant our ecology is on jumping insects.

The grasshopper serves humans and the ecosystem as a whole by encouraging plant decomposition and regeneration, which helps to maintain a healthy balance of plant kinds. Grasshoppers consume enough plant life to influence the types of plants that sprout afterward, despite their modest size. A Yale University study illustrates how mood-based changes in a grasshopper's food alter the environment around him, demonstrating this influence.

When a grasshopper dies, the nitrogen-rich body of the grasshopper is easily broken down by soil bacteria, enriching the soil and assisting carbohydrate-rich plants in their growth. However, when the grasshopper is confronted with a fear trigger, such as a spider, he consumes more carbohydrate-rich foods. The microorganisms then have a harder time breaking down his body when he dies, and nitrogen-rich plants grow instead of carbohydrate-rich ones. As proven by his ability to noticeably affect the types of plants that thrive in his surroundings, the grasshopper benefits the ecosystem by boosting plant development.

Fertilising Soil

Grasshoppers, like any other insect or animal, expel waste after eating. This excrement is extremely helpful in enriching the soil and promoting plant growth. Consider this scenario: a half-dozen cows produce big heaps of dung, which bacteria slowly break down to nourish the soil. Hundreds of grasshoppers, on the other hand, are excreting in the same field, but in much lower numbers. Because the waste is smaller, microorganisms can break it down more quickly, enriching the soil more quickly.

Feeding Predator

While the grasshopper may be unaware of his position in the ecology, he is an important source of food for predators in the wild. He helps the environment by feeding spiders, birds, lizards, and other wildlife, letting them thrive and play their part in maintaining a healthy, thriving ecosystem. Without grasshoppers, these other organisms would not have the same access to food that they do now, and their numbers could dwindle.

Preventing Overgrowth

Grasshoppers consume 10% or more of available plant biomass, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. This suggests that grasshoppers play a critical role in limiting environmental plant overgrowth. While the insect's appetite can wreak havoc on farm crops, it also benefits the ecosystem by ensuring that plant development is maintained at ideal levels.

However, depending on the weather and grasshopper population, too much of a good thing might be disastrous. When the weather is hot and dry, for example, the regeneration of consumed crops is slowed, making recovery from a grasshopper feeding frenzy difficult. When their numbers become too high, the ecology becomes unbalanced; if there are more than eight grasshoppers per square yard in an agricultural area, or more than 21 per square yard in a field or waste area, an insecticide treatment may be required.

Crop Management

Another function of the grasshopper is to manage the plant population on which it eats. Grasshoppers act as a natural counterweight by eating any surplus weed plants that may disrupt an ecosystem's foliage balance. However, in farm fields where one plant (the crops) is the dominant species and grasshoppers graze on it, this same technique has a negative impact.

Death and Molting

A grasshopper's death and moulting (the process of developing a new exoskeleton) produce incredibly important minerals, which can be naturally returned to the soil once the grasshopper dies or moults. These minerals are ordinarily bound in the exoskeleton armour of grasshoppers, but when they die or moult, they become available for digestion by plants rooted in the soil.

Predator of Green Long Horned Grasshopper

Various types of flies that deposit their eggs in or near grasshopper eggs are the grasshoppers' worst foes. The grasshopper eggs are eaten by the newborn flies after the fly eggs hatch. Even while the grasshopper is flying, some flies will lay their eggs on the grasshopper's body. The grasshopper is then eaten by the newborn flies. Beetles, birds, mice, snakes, and spiders are among grasshoppers' other predators.

Did You Know?

• Except for the colder regions around the North and South poles, grasshoppers can be found practically anywhere on Earth.

• People eat some bush cricket species of grasshopper, such as the nsenene (Ruspolia baileyi) in Uganda and surrounding areas.