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| Dichotomous Keys - Text Format | ||
Key to common families of Orthoptera (Grasshoppers & Crickets). |
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| No. | From | Description | Go to | Name |
| 1a | The front femora are almost as long and thick as the hind femora | 2 | ||
| 1b | The hind femora are much longer and thicker than the front femora | 3 | ||
| 2a | 1a | The front tibiae are modified into scoops for digging |
Gryllotalpidae |
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| 2b | 1a | The front tibiae are enlarged, but not modified into scoops |
Gryllacridadae |
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| 3a | 1b | The pronotum extends to cover the abdomen |
Tetrigidae |
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| 3b | 1b | The pronotum does not cover the abdomen | 4 | |
| 4a | 3b | The body is 4-10 mm long; the end of the abdomen has two pairs of projections |
Tridactylidae |
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| 4b | 3b | The body is usually >10 mm long, the end of the abdomen has one pair of projections (cerci) | 5 | |
| 5a | 4b | The antennae are short (usually less than half as long as the body); auditory organs, when present, are on he sides of the first abdominal segment | 6 | |
| 5b | 4b | The antennae are long (usually at least as long as the body); auditory organs, when present, are on the front tibiae | 7 | |
| 6a | 5a | The antennae are shorter than the front femora; wings are missing | ![]() Eumasticidae (Monkey Grasshoppers) |
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| 6b | 5a | The antennae are longer than the front femora; wings are present | ![]() Acrididae (Short-horned Grasshoppers) |
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| 7a | 5b | The wings are missing; the body is humpbacked | ![]() Gryllacridadae (Cave Crickets) |
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| 7b | 5b | The wings are present but sometimes small; the body is not usually humpbacked | 8 | |
| 8a | 7a | The ovipositor is shaped like a needle; the body is often brown |
Gryllidae |
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| 8b | 7b | The ovipositor is flattened like a sword; the body is usually green | ![]() Tettigoniidae (Long-horned Grasshoppers, Katydids) |