• Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

• Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

• Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

• Insects (Class Insecta)

• Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

• Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids (Order Orthoptera)

• Grasshoppers, Locusts, and Allies (Suborder Caelifera)

• Grasshoppers (Infraorder Acrididea)

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Infraorder Acrididea comprises the short-horned grasshoppers, the largest and most familiar group within the suborder Caelifera of the order Orthoptera. Containing thousands of species distributed on every continent except Antarctica, acridideans inhabit an enormous variety of environments, including grasslands, deserts, forests, agricultural fields, wetlands, and alpine meadows. They are characterized by relatively short antennae, powerful hind legs adapted for jumping, and well-developed forewings and hindwings that enable many species to fly. Most are herbivorous, feeding on grasses, leaves, and other vegetation, although a few species are omnivorous.