Insect of the order Orthoptera, usually with strongly developed hind legs, enabling it to leap. The femur of each hind leg in the male usually has a row of protruding joints that produce the characteristic chirping when rubbed against the hard wing veins. Members of the order include locusts, crickets, and katydids.
The shorthorned grasshoppers constitute the family Acrididae, and include locusts. All members of the family feed voraciously on vegetation. Eggs are laid in a small hole in the ground, and the unwinged larvae become adult after about six molts.
The American grasshopper Schistocera americana is widespread in North America. The longhorned grasshoppers, or katydids, form the family Tettigoniidae, and have a similar life history, but differ from the Acrididae in having long antennae and in producing their chirping by the friction of the wing covers over one another (stridulation).
1. Creme de menthe and cream sometimes with creme de cacao.
2. Terrestrial plant-eating insect with hind legs adapted for leaping.