Phymateus morbillosus, a toxic species with bright warning colours
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Orthoptera
Suborder:
Caelifera
Superfamily:
Pyrgomorphoidea
Family:
Pyrgomorphidae Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1874
Subfamilies and Tribes
See text
Pyrgomorphidae is a family of grasshoppers in the order Orthoptera; it is the only family in the superfamily Pyrgomorphoidea.[1] Pyrgomorphidae is found worldwide in tropical and warm temperate regions (though none are from US mainland),[1] but the vast majority of the family's approximately 500 species are from Africa, Asia and Australia.[2] Their name is probably derived from pyrgos (Greek: Πύργος) meaning "tower": a reference to the form (morph) of the head in the type genus Pyrgomorpha and other genera.
They may sometimes be known as "gaudy grasshoppers",[1] due to the striking, bright aposematic colouration of a number of genera, warning of their toxicity.[2] However, about 90% of the species in the family are harmless and well-camouflaged,[2] with a few, notably Sphenarium, even caught for human consumption.[3]
^ abcd"Family Pyrgomorphidae Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1874: Orthoptera Species File".
^ abcMariño-Pérez, R.; Song, H. (2017). "Phylogeny of the grasshopper family Pyrgomorphidae(Caelifera, Orthoptera) based on morphology". Systematic Entomology. 43 (1). doi:10.1111/syen.12251.
^Cerritos, R.; Cano-Santana, Z. (2008). "Harvesting grasshoppers Sphenarium purpurascens in Mexico for human consumption: A comparison with insecticidal control for managing pest outbreaks". Crop Protection. 27 (3–5): 473–480. doi:10.1016/j.cropro.2007.08.001.
^ ab"Orthoptera (Grasshoppers & Locusts)". anic.ento.csiro.au. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
Media related to Pyrgomorphidae at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Pyrgomorphidae at Wikispecies
