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 Immature grasshopper
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Grasshoppers are herbivorous insects of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described The Orthoptera (from the Greek ορθός orthos = "straight" and πτεрόν pteron = "wing" are an order of Insects To distinguish them from bush crickets or katydids, they are sometimes referred to as short-horned grasshoppers. The family Tettigoniidae, known in American English as katydids and in British English as bush-crickets, contains more than 6400 Species that change color and behaviour at high population densities are called locusts. Locust is the Swarming phase of short-horned Grasshoppers of the family Acrididae.
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Characteristics
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Grasshoppers have antennae that are almost always shorter than the body (sometimes filamentous), and short ovipositors. Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism Antennae (singular antenna) are paired Appendages connected to the front-most segments of Arthropods In Crustaceans they are The ovipositor is an organ used by some of the Animals for Oviposition, i Those species that make easily heard noises usually do so by rubbing the hind femurs against the forewings or abdomen (stridulation), or by snapping the wings in flight. Stridulation is the act of producing Sound by rubbing together certain body parts Tympana, if present, are on the sides of the first abdominal segment. A Tympanal organ is a hearing organ in Insects, consisting of a membrane ( tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac The hind femora are typically long and strong, fitted for leaping. Generally they are winged, but hind wings are membranous while front wings (tegmina) are coriaceous and not fit for flight. A tegmen (pl tegmina) designates the modified leathery front wing on an insect Coriaceous means "resembling Leather " or "of a leathery Texture " Females are normally larger than males, with short ovipositors. Males have a single unpaired plate at the end of the abdomen. Females have two pairs of valves ( triangles) at the end of the abdomen used to dig in sand when egg laying.
They are easily confused with the other sub-order of Orthoptera, Ensifera, but are different in many aspects, such as the number of segments in their antennae and structure of the ovipositor, as well as the location of the tympana and modes of sound production. Ensifera is a suborder of the order Orthoptera, comprising Insects commonly known as crickets katydids and bush crickets. A Tympanal organ is a hearing organ in Insects, consisting of a membrane ( tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac Ensiferans have antennae with at least 20-24 segments, and caeliferans have fewer. In evolutionary terms, the split between the Caelifera and the Ensifera is no more recent than the Permo-Triassic boundary (Zeuner 1939).
Diversity and range
Recent estimates (Kevan 1982; Günther, 1980, 1992; Otte 1994-1995; subsequent literature) indicate some 2,400 valid Caeliferan genera and about 11,000 valid species described to date. Many undescribed species exist, especially in tropical wet forests. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches The Caelifera are predominantly tropical but most of the superfamilies are represented world wide.
Biology
Digestion and excretion
The digestive system of insects includes a foregut (stomodaeum - the mouth region), a hindgut (proctodaeum - the anal region), and a midgut (mesenteron). The mouth leads to the muscular pharynx, and through the esophagus to the crop. This leads to the malpighian tubules. The Malpighian tubule system is a type of Excretory and osmoregulatory system found in some Uniramia ( Insects and Myriapoda) These are the chief excretion organs. The hindgut includes intestine parts (including the ileum and rectum), and exits through the anus. Most food is handled in the midgut, but some food residue as well as waste products from the malpighian tubules are managed in the hindgut. These waste products consist mainly of uric acid, urea and a bit of amino acids, and are normally converted into dry pellets before being disposed of. Uric acid (or urate) is an Organic compound of Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen and Hydrogen with the formula C5H4N4O3 Urea is an Organic compound with the Chemical formula ( N[[hydrogen H]]22 C[[oxygen O]] In Chemistry, an amino acid is a Molecule containing both Amine and Carboxyl Functional groups In Biochemistry, this
The salivary glands and midgut secrete digestive enzymes. Enzymes are Biomolecules that catalyze ( ie increase the rates of Chemical reactions Almost all enzymes are Proteins The midgut secretes protease, lipase, amylase, and invertase, among other enzymes. A protease is any Enzyme that conducts Proteolysis, that is begins protein Catabolism by Hydrolysis of the Peptide bonds that link A lipase is a Water-soluble Enzyme that Catalyzes the Hydrolysis of Ester bonds in water–insoluble Lipid Amylase is an Enzyme that breaks Starch down into Sugar. Amylase is present in human Saliva, where it begins the chemical process Invertase ( (systematic name beta-fructofuranosidase is a Sucrase enzyme The particular ones secreted vary within the different diets of grasshoppers.
Nervous system
The grasshopper's nervous system is controlled by ganglia, loose groups of nerve cells which are found in most species more advanced than cnidarians. In Anatomy, a ganglion (pl ganglia) is a tissue mass. Neurology In neurological contexts ganglia are composed mainly of Cnidaria (naɪˈdɛəriə is a phylum containing some 9000 Species of Animals found exclusively in aquatic mostly marine, environments In grasshoppers, there are ganglia in each segment as well as a larger set in the head, which are considered the brain. The brain is the center of the Nervous system in animals All Vertebrates and the majority of Invertebrates have a brain There is also a neuropile in the centre, through which all ganglia channel signals. The sense organs (sensory neurons) are found near the exterior of the body and consist of tiny hairs (sensilla), which consist of one sense cell and one nerve fiber, which are each specially calibrated to respond to a certain stimulus. Sensilla ( sg.= sensillum are Insect Sensory organs protruding from the Cuticle, or sometime lie within or beneath it While the sensilla are found all over the body, they are most dense on the antennae, palps (part of the mouth), and cerci (near the posterior). Antennae (singular antenna) are paired Appendages connected to the front-most segments of Arthropods In Crustaceans they are Pedipalps, are the second pair of Appendages of the Prosoma in the subphylum Chelicerata. Cerci (singular cercus) are paired Appendages on the rear-most segments of many Arthropods including Insects and Arachnids but not Grasshoppers also have tympanal organs for sound reception. A Tympanal organ is a hearing organ in Insects, consisting of a membrane ( tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac Both these and the sensilla are linked to the brain via the neuropile.
Reproduction
The grasshopper's reproductive system consists of the gonads, the ducts which carry sexual products to the exterior, and accessory glands. In males, the testes consist of a number of follicles which hold the spermatocytes as they mature and form packets of elongated spermatozoa. After they are liberated in bundles, these spermatozoa accumulate in the vesicula seminalis (vas deferens).
In females, each ovary consists of ovarioles. These converge upon the two oviducts, which unite to create a common oviduct which carries ripe eggs. Each of the ovarioles consists of a germarium (a mass of cells that form oocytes, nurse cells, and follicular cells) and a series of follicles. An oocyte, ovocyte, or rarely ocyte, is a female Gametocyte or Germ cell involved in reproduction. The term nurse cell is used in several unrelated ways in different scientific fields Human physiology Nurse cells are specialized macrophages residing in the bone marrow The nurse cells nourish the oocytes during early growth stages, and the follicular cells provide materials for the yolk and make the eggshell (chorion).
During reproduction, the male grasshopper introduces sperm into the ovipositor through its aedeagus (reproductive organ), and inserts its spermatophore, a package containing the sperm, into the female's ovipositor. Romalea guttata, known commonly as the "Eastern lubber grasshopper" is a Grasshopper native the to southeastern and south central portion of the An aedeagus (plural aedeagi) is a reproductive organ of male Insects through which they secrete Sperm from the Testes during Copulation A spermatophore is a capsule or mass created by males of various Animal species containing Spermatozoa and transferred in entirety to the female's Ovipore The ovipositor is an organ used by some of the Animals for Oviposition, i The sperm enters the eggs through fine canals called micropyles. The female then lays the fertilized egg pod, using her ovipositor and abdomen to insert the eggs about one to two inches underground, although they can also be laid in plant roots or even manure. The egg pod contains several dozens of tightly-packed eggs that look like thin rice grains. The eggs stay there through the winter, and hatch when the weather has warmed sufficiently. In temperate zones, many grasshoppers spend most of their life as eggs through the cooler months (up to 9 months) and the active states (young and adult grasshoppers) live only up to three months. The first nymph to hatch tunnels up through the ground, and the rest follow. Grasshoppers develop through stages and progressively get larger in body and wing size. This development is referred to as hemimetabolous or incomplete metamorphosis since the young are rather similar to the adult.
Circulation and respiration
Grasshoppers have open circulatory systems, with most of the body fluid (hemolymph) filling body cavities and appendages. Hemolymph or haemolymph is the Blood analogue used by all Arthropods and most Mollusks that have an Open circulatory system. The one closed organ, the dorsal vessel, extends from the head through the thorax to the hind end. It is a continuous tube with two regions - the heart, which is restricted to the abdomen, and the aorta, which extends from the heart to the head through the thorax. Hemolymph is pumped forward from the hind end and the sides of the body through a series of valved chambers, each of which contains a pair of lateral openings (ostia). The hemolymph continues to the aorta and is discharged through the front of the head. Accessory pumps carry hemolymph through the wing veins and along the legs and antennae before it flows back to the abdomen. This hemolymph circulates nutrients through the body and carries metabolic wastes to the malphighian tubes to be excreted. Because it does not carry oxygen, grasshopper "blood" is green.
Respiration is performed using tracheae, air-filled tubes, which open at the surfaces of the thorax and abdomen through pairs of spiracles. Many terrestrial Arthropods have evolved a closed Respiratory system composed of Spiracles, tracheae and Tracheoles to transport metabolic Spiracles are small openings on the surface of some Animals that usually lead to Respiratory systems In Elasmobranchs ( Sharks and The spiracle valves only open to allow oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. The tracheoles, found at the end of the tracheal tubes, are insinuated between cells and carry oxygen throughout the body. (For more information on respiration, see Insect. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described )
Other information
As food
In many places around the world, grasshoppers are eaten as a good source of protein. Proteins are large Organic compounds made of Amino acids arranged in a linear chain and joined together by Peptide bonds between the Carboxyl In Mexico for example chapulines are used as a snack or filling. Chapulines are Grasshoppers of the genus Sphenarium. They are considered a Delicacy by many Mexicans They are collected only It is found on skewers in Chinese food markets, like the Donghuamen Night Market [1]
Raw grasshoppers should be eaten with caution, as they can contain tapeworms. Tapeworm is also an older name for a type of Computer virus. Cestoda is a class of Parasitic Flatworms commonly called [2]
Locusts
See also locust and desert locust. Locust is the Swarming phase of short-horned Grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. Plagues of the Desert Locust ( Schistocerca gregaria) have threatened agricultural production in Africa, the Middle East and Asia
Locusts are several species of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae that sometimes form very large groups (swarms); these can be highly destructive and migrate in a more or less coordinated way. Grasshoppers are Insects of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. The Acrididae are the predominant family of Grasshoppers comprising some 10000 of the 11000 species of the entire suborder Caelifera. Thus, these grasshoppers have solitary and gregarious (swarm) phases. Locust swarms can cause massive damage to crops. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture Important locust species include Schistocerca gregaria and Locusta migratoria in Africa and the Middle East, and Schistocerca piceifrons in tropical Mexico and Central America (Mesoamerica). Plagues of the Desert Locust ( Schistocerca gregaria) have threatened agricultural production in Africa, the Middle East and Asia The migratory locust ( Locusta migratoria) is the most widespread locust species Mesoamerica or Meso-America (Mesoamérica is a Region extending approximately from central Mexico to Honduras and Nicaragua, defined Other grasshoppers important as pests (which, unlike true locusts, do not change color when they form swarms) include Melanoplus species (like M. Melanoplus is the largest Genus of Grasshoppers They are the typical largish grasshoppers (and in some cases migratory " Locusts quot bivittatus, M. femurrubrum and M. differentialis) and Camnula pellucida in North America; the lubber grasshopper Brachystola magna, and Sphenarium purpurascens in Northern and Central Mexico; species of Rhammatocerus in South America; and the Senegalese grasshopper Oedaleus senegalensis and the variegated grasshopper Zonocerus variegatus in Africa.
In popular culture
- In ancient Greek Mythology, Tithonus, prince of Troy; son of Laomedon was loved by the dawn goddess Eos, who bore him Memnon and Emathion. Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the ancient Greeks concerning their gods and Heroes the nature of the world and the origins and significance In Greek mythology, Tithonus or Tithonos was the lover of Eos, Titan of the dawn For other uses of the name Eos see Eos (disambiguation. For the Slavic goddesses called the Auroras see The Zorya. In Greek mythology, Emathion refers to four individuals Ethiopian king Emathion was king of Ethiopia, the son of Tithonus and Eos When Eos begged Zeus to bestow immortality upon Tithonus, she forgot to ask the god to grant her lover eternal youth; so Tithonus grew older and older until Eos, out of pity, changed him into a grasshopper. Zeus (zjuːs in Greek: nominative: Zeús /zdeús/ genitive: Diós; Modern Greek /'zefs/ in Greek mythology
- Aesop (620–560 BC), a slave and story-teller who lived in Ancient Greece told a tale called The Ant and the Grasshopper. Aesop (also spelled Æsop, from the Greek Αἴσωπος — Aisōpos) (620-560 BC) known only for the genre of Fables The Ant and the Grasshopper, also known as The Grasshopper and the Ant or The Grasshopper and the Ants, is a Fable attributed In this tale, the ant worked hard preparing his shelter and stores of food all summer, while the grasshopper played. Once the winter came, the ant was prepared and the grasshopper, having no shelter or food begs to enter the ant's house. The ant refuses and the grasshopper starves to death. This fable has been revised for a more child-friendly ending today: The grasshopper lives through the end of the story and resolves to work next year, and the ant invites him inside when he hears this.
- The 1957 film Beginning of the End featured mutated giant grasshoppers attacking Chicago. Beginning of the End is a 1957 Science fiction film starring Peter Graves and Peggie Castle. Chicago (ʃɪˈkɑːgoʊ is the largest City by population in the state of Illinois and the American Midwest of the United States.
- "Grasshopper" is a term currently used in jest referencing an inexperienced person who has much to learn. Its use originating from the television show Kung Fu (1972-1975) in which the student, Young Caine, portrayed by Radames Pera is taking instruction from his Master Po portrayed by Keye Luke who nicknamed his student "Grasshopper" as a term of endearment. This article is specifically about the original TV series (1972–1975 "Kung Fu" Radames Perá (born Radames Pera 14 September 1960) is an American Actor who is best known for his role as the young Kwai Chang Caine Keye Luke ( Cantonese: Lo Sek Lam Pinyin: Lù Xílín June 18, 1904 – January 12, 1991) was a Chinese -born
- In the 1998 movie A Bug's Life, in an apparent homage to the Aesop fable, The Ant and the Grasshopper, where the heroes are the members of an ant colony, and the lead villain and his henchmen are grasshoppers, the lead villain is then eaten by a bird. A Bug's Life is a 1998 CGI-animated Film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Buena Vista Distribution in the Aesop's Fables or Aesopica refers to a collection of Fables credited to Aesop (620&ndash 560 BC) a slave and story-teller who lived The Ant and the Grasshopper, also known as The Grasshopper and the Ant or The Grasshopper and the Ants, is a Fable attributed
References
- Firefly Encyclopedia of Insects and Spiders, edited by Christopher O'Toole, ISBN 1-55297-612-2, 2002
- ^ Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern aired on Travel Channel 27 April 2008. The Travel Channel is a Cable television network that features
- ^ Survivorman television show, Sonoran Desert episode, broadcasted on Science Channel 1 November 2006
External links
Survivorman is a Canadian-produced television program broadcast in Canada on the Outdoor Life Network (OLN and in the United States and internationally Science Channel is a cable and satellite television network produced by Discovery Communications.Dictionary
grasshopper
-noun
- A herbivorous insect of the order Orthoptera noted for its ability to jump long distances.
- An alcoholic beverage made with green crème de menthe.
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