Belongs within: Caelifera.
Contains: Ommexechidae, Romaleidae, Pamphagidae, Stenobothrus, Oedipodinae, Ommatolampinae, Catantopinae, Oxyinae, Cyrtacanthacridinae, Melanoplus, Acridinae, Chorthippus.
The Acridoidea include the typical grasshoppers and locusts. The latter are those species whose life cycle may include a gregarious phase in which they form dense migratory swarms, potentially causing significant damage to vegetation, including crops, where they occur (Rentz 1996).
The composition of the primary family in the group, Acrididae, has varied significantly between authors, but Eades (2000) restricted it to those species whose males possess a strongly developed phallic arch sclerite, with a strongly sclerotised central portion but no lateral projections. The Acridoidea as a whole is characterised by the development of a gonopore separating the ejaculatory sac from the spermatophore. A process projecting from the endophallic sclerite functions to open and close the gonopore in a clade including the families Lithidiidae, Romaleidae, Dericorythidae, Pamphagidae, Charilaidae and Acrididae. The families Ommexechidae and Tristiridae form a clade in which the endophallic sclerite is divided into dorsal and ventral portions (Eades 2000). Other members of the Acridoidea include the Lentulidae, a group of wingless grasshoppers endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. The isolated genus Pyrgacris, known from Mauritius and Réunion, is a basal form combining acridoid-type phallic sclerites with a pyrgomorphid-like grooved fastigium and epiphallus (Eades 2000).
Characters (from Eades 2000; Rentz 1996 [as Acrididae]): Fastigium of vertex without medio-longitudinal sulcus. Tarsi of all legs three-segmented; hind tibia with all four apical spurs well developed. Endophallic apodemes turned laterally; gonopore developed as constriction separating ejaculatory sac from spermatophore sac.
<==Acridoidea | i. s.: PamphagodidaeGE05 |--Pyrgacris Descamps 1968 [Pyrgacrididae, Pyrgacridinae]E00 |--Batrachidacris [Lathiceridae]E00 |--LentulidaeE00 | |--ShelforditinaeE00 | `--LentulinaeE00 | |--Betiscoides meridionalisE00 | |--Mecostibus nyassaeE00 | `--Lentula obtusifronsE00 |--+--OmmexechidaeE00 | `--TristiridaeE00 | |--Atacamacris [Atacamacridinae]E00 | `--Tristirinae [Chilacridinae, Chilacrinae, Tristirae, Tristiri]E00 | |--TristiraE00 | |--Elasmoderus [incl. Chilacris]E00 | |--Moluchacris cinarescensE00 | |--Elysiacris angusticollisE00 | |--Tropodostethus bicarinatusE00 | `--Punacris peruviacrisE00 `--+--Lithidiidae [Lithidiinae]E00 | |--Lithidium pusillumE00 | `--EneremiusE00 |--+--RomaleidaeE00 | `--DericorythidaeE00 | |--Plotnikovia [Conophyminae, Conophymini]E00 | | `--P. lanigeraE00 | |--Iranella [Iranellinae, Iranellini]E00 | | `--I. turcmenaE00 | `--Dericorythinae [Anemesacrinae, Dericorythini]E00 | |--AnemesacrisE00 | `--DericorysE00 | |--D. albidulaE00 | `--D. tibialisF92 `--+--+--PamphagidaeE00 | `--Charilaus [Charilaidae]E00 | `--C. carinatusE00 `--Acrididae [Catantopidae, Hemiacrididae, Locustariae, Locustidae]E00 | i. s.: MioedipodaZ02 | Proschistocerca oligocaenicaZ02 | Speleiacris tabulaeL31 | Chondracris roseaMHG04 | Phlibostroma quadrimaculatumE70 | CordillacrisE70 | |--C. crenulataE70 | `--C. occipitalisE70 | Sisantum notochlorisE70 | Clinocephalus elegansE70 | DichromorphaE70 | |--D. robustaE70 | `--D. viridisE70 | Thisoicetrus annulosus (Walker 1870)D95 | Acanthacris ruficornis (Seville 1838)D95 | |--A. r. ruficornisF92 | `--A. r. lineataF92 | Thalpomena algeriana (Lucas 1849)D95 | |--T. a. algerianaD95 | `--T. a. coerulipennis Finot 1895D95 | Ochrilidia filicornis Krauss 1902D95 | Eunapiodes granosusD95 | EuryparyphesD95 | |--E. quadridentatusD95 | `--E. sitifiensisD95 | RamburiellaD95 | |--R. hispanicaD95 | `--R. turcomanaF92 | Tmethis pulchripennisD95 | StenobothrusS66 | HabrocneminaeE00 | CaryandinaeE00 | Brachystola magnaZ94 | Platylactista aztecusZ94 | Rehnita capitoZ94 | Xabthippus corallipesZ94 | |--X. c. corallipesZ94 | `--X. c. pantherinusZ94 | Psophus stridulusB01 | PachytylusB01 | |--P. danicus [incl. P. cinerascens]B01 | `--P. migratoriusB01 | BryodemaB01 | |--B. baicalensisB01 | |--B. barabensisB01 | |--B. brunnerianaB01 | |--B. mongolica Bolivar 1901B01 | |--B. rhodopaB01 | `--B. tuberculatumF92 | Callirhipis davidianaB01 | Nocarodes serricollisB01 | TettixB01 | |--T. australisO86 | |--T. bipunctatusB01 | |--T. depressusB01 | `--T. subulatusB01 | ZichyinaeB01 | |--Bradyporus onosB01 | |--Zichya Bolivar 1901B01 | | `--*Z. vacca (Fischer de Waldheim 1846) [=Ephippiger vacca]B01 | `--Deracanthella Bolivar 1901 [=Deracantha Fischer de Waldheim 1833 (preoc.)]B01 | `--*D. aranea (Fischer de Waldheim 1833) (see below for synonymy)B01 | HippiscusK-P91 | CaloptenopsisK-P91 | HoplolophaK-P91 | Gomphocerippus rufusHR11 | Eirenephilus longipennisF92 | Mecostethus grossusRD77 | Patanga succinctaRD77 | Zonocerus variegatusRD77 | HalmenusPP72 | |--H. choristopterusPP72 | `--H. robustusPP72 |--OedipodinaeE00 |--Paulinia [Pauliniidae, Pauliniinae]E00 | `--P. acuminataE00 [=Coelopterna acuminataR15] |--+--OmmatolampinaeE00 | |--Marellia [Marelliinae]E00 | | `--M. remipesE00 | |--Copiocera [Copiocerinae]E00 | | `--C. specularisE00 | |--Proctolabus [Proctolabinae]E00 | | `--P. brachypterusE00 | |--Diexis [Diexinae]E00 | | `--D. varentzoviE00 | |--Trichopaon [Rhytidochrotinae]E00 | | `--T. tateiE00 | |--LeptysmaR15 [LeptysminaeE00] | | |--L. filiformisR15 | | `--L. obscuraR15 | `--TeratodinaeE00 | |--Teratodes brachypterusE00 | `--Lyrotyloides viridisE00 `--+--CatantopinaeE00 |--OxyinaeE00 |--EgnatiinaeE00 |--Aneuryphymus [Euryphyminae]E00 | `--A. montanusE00 |--EyprepocnemisTS04 [EyprepocnemidinaeE00] | `--E. ploransTS04 |--PodismaK81 [PodisminaeE00] | `--P. pedestrisK81 |--+--CyrtacanthacridinaeE00 | `--MelanoplusE00 |--CalliptamusP05 [CalliptaminaeE00] | |--C. barbarus (Costa 1836)P05 | |--C. coelesyriensF92 | |--C. italicus (Linnaeus 1758)P05 | |--C. spretusF92 | `--C. wattenwyllianus (Pantel 1896)D95 `--+--AcridinaeE00 |--EremogryllinaeE00 |--Epistaurus [Coptacridinae]E00 | `--E. succineusE00 |--Truxalis Fabricius 1775S63 [=Troxalis Fischer-Waldheim 1846S63, Tryxalis Brullé 1835S63; TruxalinaeE00] | |--T. brevicornisR15 | `--T. nasutusL02 |--HemiacridinaeE00 | |--Hieroglyphus banianE00 | `--Euthymia fasciataE00 |--Spathosterninae [Spathosternini]E00 | |--LaxabillaR96 | `--Spathosternum pygmaeumE00 |--Tropidopola [Tropidopolinae]E00 | `--T. cylindricaE00 | |--T. c. cylindricaE00 | `--T. c. acuticepsE00 `--GomphocerinaeE00 |--Mermiria bivittata [incl. M. maculipennis]E00 |--ChorthippusBM76 |--DasyhippusBM76 |--Euchorthippus pulvinatusBM76, F92 |--Eritettix simplexNK96 |--GomphocerusE00 | |--G. rufusE00 | `--G. sibiricusF92 |--OmocestusBM76 | |--O. centralisF92 | |--O. heymonsiF92 | |--O. raymondi Harz 1970D95 | `--O. viridulusF01 `--DociostaurusY70 |--D. brevicollisF92 |--D. geneiY70 |--D. jagoi Soltani 1978D95 |--D. kraussiF92 |--D. maroccanus (Thunberg 1815)P05 `--D. nigrogeniculatusF92
*Deracanthella aranea (Fischer de Waldheim 1833) [=Deracantha aranea, Ephippiger aranea; incl. E. antilope, E. verrucosus Fischer de Waldheim 1846]B01
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
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