Tettigoniidae

views updated

Tettigoniidae (bush katydids, cone-headed grasshoppers, katydids, listroceline grasshoppers, long-horned grasshoppers, meadow grasshoppers, pine-tree katydids, shield-backed grasshoppers; order Orthoptera, suborder Ensifera) Family of ensiferans in which auditory communication is well developed. The ovipositor is sword-shaped. Most species are phytophagous, but some are predatory on other insects. It is the largest family in the suborder, with about 5000 species.