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PAMPHAGIDAE ( CAELIFERA ) OF NORTH AMERICA ![]() CLICK FOR DOWNLOAD
KINGDOM : Animalia
PHYLUM : Arthropoda
CLASS : Insecta
ORDER : Orthoptera
SUBORDER : Caelifera
SUPERFAMILY : Acridoidea
FAMILY : Pamphagidae
SUBFAMILY : Porthetinae
GENUS : Lamarckiana
Evolution, Diversification, Biogeography of Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) ![]() CLICK FOR DOWNLOAD |
At least 95 species of Pamphagidae belonging to 17 genera are known in North Africa. Taxonomic status is fairly known, with some exception, mainly due to scarcity of available specimens of some genera in museums and collections. The family Pamphagidae, within Orthoptera, is very diverse with regards to its sound production mechanisms. In Pamphagidae, the Krauss's organ is located on both sides of the 2nd tergite and its function is superficially known. It has been proposed to have a stridulatory function. This organ can be found in all Pamphagidae except the apterous genera. The grasshopper family Acrididae is one of the most diverse lineages within Orthoptera, including more than 6,700 valid species distributed worldwide. Grasshoppers are dominant herbivores, which have diversified into grassland, desert, semi-aquatic, alpine, and tropical forest habitats, and exhibit a wide array of morphological, ecological, & behavioral diversity. Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) are among the most recognizable and familiar insects in terrestrial habitats around the world. They are dominant herbivores and represent a ubiquitous component of grasslands around the world. In grassland ecosystems, grasshoppers contribute to more than half of the total arthropod biomass in the above ground grass layer. Some of the most important insect pests around the world are locusts, which are grasshoppers that can form dense migrating swarms and exhibit density-dependent phase polyphenism. Although grasshoppers are often thought to be associated with grasslands, many species are actually found in tropical forests, shrublands, deserts, wetlands, and alpine regions around the world.
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