Matchstick-grasshopper
Guides
Eumastacidae
Monkey Grasshoppers, Matchstick Grasshoppers
Eumastacidae is a family of grasshoppers commonly known as monkey grasshoppers or matchstick grasshoppers. They are considered primitive within the Orthoptera and are characterized by their distinctive body posture with thin legs held at right angles to the body, often near the horizontal plane. Many species are wingless. The family exhibits its greatest diversity in the Neotropics, with most species inhabiting tropical regions. They feed on algae, ferns, and gymnosperms—ancient plant groups that reflect their primitive evolutionary status.