Editing Grasshopper (section)

==Characteristics==
Grasshoppers have the typical insect body plan of head, [[Thorax (insect anatomy)|thorax]], and [[Abdomen#Invertebrates|abdomen]]. The head is held vertically at an angle to the body, with the mouth at the bottom. The head bears a large pair of [[compound eye]]s which give all-round vision, three simple eyes which can detect light and dark, and a pair of thread-like [[Antenna (biology)|antennae]] that are sensitive to touch and smell. The downward-directed mouthparts are modified for chewing and there are two sensory [[pedipalp|palp]]s in front of the [[Mandible (insect mouthpart)|jaws]].<ref name=Pfadt1to8>Pfadt, 1994. pp. 1–8</ref>

The thorax and abdomen are segmented and have a rigid [[cuticle]] made up of overlapping plates composed of [[chitin]]. The three fused thoracic segments bear three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings. The forewings, known as [[tegmina]], are narrow and leathery while the hindwings are large and membranous, the veins providing strength. The legs are terminated by claws for gripping. The hind leg is particularly powerful. The legs of these species are so powerful that they can jump quite a long distance. they also use this to flee from danger.<ref>{{Cite web |title=10 Fascinating Facts About Grasshoppers |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/fascinating-facts-about-grasshoppers-1968334 |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref> The femur is robust and has several ridges where different surfaces join and the inner ridges bear [[stridulatory]] pegs in some species. The posterior edge of the tibia bears a double row of spines and there are a pair of articulated spurs near its lower end. The interior of the thorax houses the muscles that control the wings and legs.<ref name=Pfadt1to8/>

[[File:Two grasshoppers utah.jpg|thumb|Two [[differential grasshopper]]s, with visible spines along the [[tibia]] of the hind legs]]

[[File:Heupferd fg01.jpg|thumb|[[Ensifera]], like this great green [[bush-cricket]] ''[[Tettigonia viridissima]]'', somewhat resemble grasshoppers but have over 20 segments in their [[antenna (biology)|antennae]] and different [[ovipositor]]s.]]
The abdomen has eleven segments, the first of which is fused to the thorax and contains the [[tympanal organ]] and hearing system. Segments two to eight are ring-shaped and joined by flexible membranes. Segments nine to eleven are reduced in size; segment nine bears a pair of [[cercus|cerci]] and segments ten and eleven have the reproductive organs. Female grasshoppers are normally [[sexual dimorphism|larger than males]], with short ovipositors.<ref name=Pfadt1to8/> The name of the suborder "Caelifera" comes from the Latin and means ''chisel-bearing'', referring to the shape of the ovipositor.<ref name="Himmelman2011">{{cite book| last=Himmelman| first=John| title=Cricket Radio| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qp7Q4Vn9l-oC&pg=PA45| year=2011| publisher=Harvard University Press| isbn=978-0-674-06102-6| page=45| url-status=live| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127023307/https://books.google.com/books?id=qp7Q4Vn9l-oC&pg=PA45| archive-date=27 November 2017}}</ref>

The grasshopper's auditory organs are located on its abdomen, rather than on its head. These organs consist of a pair of membranes, each positioned on either side of the first abdominal segment and tucked under the wings. Known as tympanal organs, these simple eardrums vibrate in response to sound waves, enabling the grasshopper to hear the songs of other grasshoppers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=10 Fascinating Facts About Grasshoppers |url=https://www.thoughtco.com/fascinating-facts-about-grasshoppers-1968334 |access-date=2024-08-06 |website=ThoughtCo |language=en}}</ref>

Those species that make easily heard noises usually do so by rubbing a row of pegs on the hind legs against the edges of the forewings (stridulation). These sounds are produced mainly by males to attract females, though in some species the females also stridulate.<ref name=AM>{{cite web |title=Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids and locusts: Order Orthoptera |url=https://australian.museum/learn/animals/insects/grasshoppers-crickets-katydids-and-locusts-order-orthoptera/ |publisher=Australian Museum |access-date=6 April 2015 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418022639/http://australianmuseum.net.au/grasshoppers-crickets-katydids-and-locusts-order-orthoptera |archive-date=18 April 2015 }}</ref>

Grasshoppers may be confused with crickets, but they differ in many aspects; these include the number of segments in their antennae and the structure of the ovipositor, as well as the location of the tympanal organ and the methods by which sound is produced.<ref name=Guthrie>{{cite book |author=Guthrie, David Maltby |title=Aims and Methods in Neuroethology |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MkW8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA106 |year=1987 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-0-7190-2320-0 |page=106 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127023308/https://books.google.com/books?id=MkW8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA106 |archive-date=27 November 2017 }}</ref> Ensiferans have antennae that can be much longer than the body and have at least 20–24 segments, while caeliferans have fewer segments in their shorter, stouter antennae.<ref name=AM/>