The Cyrtacanthacridinae are a
subfamily
In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus. Standard nomenclature rules end botanical subfamily names with "-oideae", and zo ...
of
Orthoptera
Orthoptera () is an order of insects that comprises the grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets, including closely related insects, such as the bush crickets or katydids and wētā. The order is subdivided into two suborders: Caelifera – gras ...
:
Caelifera
The Caelifera are a suborder of orthopteran insects. They include the grasshoppers and grasshopper-like insects, as well as other superfamilies classified with them: the ground-hoppers ( Tetrigoidea) and pygmy mole crickets ( Tridactyloidea). ...
in the family
Acrididae
Acrididae are the predominant family of grasshoppers, comprising some 10,000 of the 11,000 species of the entire suborder Caelifera. The Acrididae are best known because all locusts (swarming grasshoppers) are of the Acrididae. The subfamily Oedi ...
. They are sometimes referred-to as bird locusts,
[Orthoptera species file: Cyrtacanthacridinae (retrieved 6 August 2019)](_blank)
/ref> ''criquets voyageurs'' in French-speaking Africa
African French () is the umbrella grouping of varieties of the French language spoken throughout Francophone Africa. Used mainly as a secondary language or ''lingua franca'', it is spoken by an estimated 320 million people across 34 coun ...
,locust
Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they b ...
s, short-horned grasshoppers that undergo phase polymorphism and are among the most important pests of sub-Saharan Africa
Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...
; they include the desert locust
The desert locust (''Schistocerca gregaria'') is a species of locust, a periodically swarming, short-horned grasshopper in the family Acrididae. They are found primarily in the deserts and dry areas of northern and eastern Africa, Arabia, and ...
and the red locust
The red locust (''Nomadacris septemfasciata'') is a large grasshopper species found in sub-Saharan Africa. Its name refers to the colour of its hind wings. It is sometimes called the ''criquet nomade'' in French language, French, due to its noma ...
,[Orthoptera Species File (accessed 20 June 2017)]
/ref>
One of the characteristics of members of this subfamily is the prominent peg between the forelegs: hence the name for the Australian Spur-throated locust.
Genera
The following genera have been included with a single tribe
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide use of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. The definition is contested, in part due to conflict ...
separated:
/ref>
Cyrtacanthacridini
Auth. Kirby, 1910; worldwide distribution (mostly tropical and sub-tropical)
# '' Anacridium'' Uvarov, 1923
# '' Chondracris'' Uvarov, 1923
# '' Cyrtacanthacris'' Walker, 1870
# '' Nomadacris'' Uvarov, 1923 - monotypic ''N. septemfaciata''
# '' Ornithacris'' Uvarov, 1924
# '' Patanga'' Uvarov, 1923
# †'' Proschistocerca'' (''P. oligocaenica'' Zeuner, 1937)
# '' Rhadinacris'' Uvarov, 1923 - monotypic '' Rhadinacris schistocercoides'' (Brancsik, 1892) from Madagascar
# '' Schistocerca'' Stål, 1873
# '' Valanga'' Uvarov, 1923
# '' Willemsea'' Uvarov, 1923 - monotypic '' Willemsea bimaculata'' (Willemse, 1922) from New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
tribe unassigned
* '' Acanthacris'' Uvarov, 1923
* '' Acridoderes'' Bolívar, 1889
* '' Adramita'' Uvarov, 1936
* '' Armatacris'' Yin, 1979
* '' Austracris'' Uvarov, 1923
* '' Bryophyma'' Uvarov, 1923
* '' Caledonula'' Uvarov, 1939
* '' Callichloracris'' Ramme, 1931
* '' Congoa'' Bolívar, 1911
* '' Cristacridium'' Willemse, 1932
* '' Finotina'' Uvarov, 1923
* '' Gowdeya'' Uvarov, 1923
* '' Halmenus'' Scudder, 1893
* '' Hebridea'' Willemse, 1926
* '' Kinkalidia'' Sjöstedt, 1931
* '' Kraussaria'' Uvarov, 1923
* '' Mabacris'' Donskoff, 1986
* '' Nichelius'' Bolívar, 1888
* '' Ootua'' Uvarov, 1927
* '' Ordinacris'' Dirsh, 1966
* '' Orthacanthacris'' Karsch, 1896
* '' Pachyacris'' Uvarov, 1923
* '' Pachynotacris'' Uvarov, 1923
* '' Parakinkalidia'' Donskoff, 1986
* '' Parapachyacris'' Yin & Yin, 2008
* '' Rhytidacris'' Uvarov, 1923
* '' Ritchiella'' Mungai, 1992
* '' Taiacris'' Donskoff, 1986
Gallery
File:Garden locust (Acanthacris ruficornis).jpg, '' Acanthacris ruficornis'', in Ghana
Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...
File:Grasshopper November 2008-3.jpg , '' Anacridium aegyptium''
File:Copulating desert locust pair.jpg, '' Schistocerca gregaria''
References