Ensifera

Definition

A suborder of insects within Orthoptera, comprising crickets, katydids (bush crickets), wētā, camel crickets, and related groups. Distinguished from the sister suborder Caelifera (grasshoppers) by possession of long, thread-like antennae, a tympanal organ located on the foreleg, and typically a well-developed, blade-like ovipositor in females—the latter feature reflected in the Latin etymology 'sword-bearing.' Members exhibit diverse feeding habits, including herbivory, omnivory, and partial carnivory, with some species preying on other insects. The group is considered more ancient than Caelifera, with fossil evidence extending to the Carboniferous period.

Etymology

From Latin ēnsifer ('sword-bearing'), referring to the elongated, sword-like ovipositor characteristic of many females.

Example

The New Zealand wētā (family Anostostomatidae) and the common field cricket Gryllus campestris (family Gryllidae) both belong to Ensifera, sharing the diagnostic traits of long antennae and foreleg tympanal organs used in acoustic communication.

Related Terms

• Caelifera
• Orthoptera
• Gryllidae
• Tettigoniidae
• Tympanum
• ovipositor
• stridulation
• Polyneoptera

Usage Notes

In entomological contexts, Ensifera refers exclusively to the orthopteran suborder; the same name also designates a genus of hummingbirds (Trochilidae), but these homonyms do not overlap in practice. The suborder is sometimes informally called 'long-horned Orthoptera' in contrast to the short-horned Caelifera, though this is descriptive rather than taxonomic. Modern phylogenies recognize four infraorders within Ensifera: Gryllidea (crickets), Tettigoniidea (katydids), and the extinct †Elcanidea and †Oedischiidea. When discussing acoustic behavior, note that Ensiferan tympanal organs are on the tibiae of the forelegs, whereas Caeliferan ears are on the first abdominal segment.