18 LIFE STORIES OF AUSTRALIAN INSECTS 



ORDER ORTHOPTERA. 



This order includes Cockroaches, Grasshoppers, 

 Mantids, Phasmids, Crickets, and Earwigs. The 

 name, orthoptera is derived from the Greek word 

 Orthos, straight, and Pteron, a wing. This refers to 

 the manner in which the wings are folded and 

 placed straight along the body. Some of the larg- 

 est insects occur in this order. 



They are sometimes placed in two groups : A., 

 Cursoria or Running Orthoptera, example : Cock- 

 roaches, Earwigs, Mantids, Phasmids, with hind 

 legs little different from the others. B. Saltatoria, 

 or Leaping Orthoptera, with hind legs suitable for 

 leaping; cx.\ Short-horned Grasshoppers or Lo- 

 custs, Long-horned Grasshoppers or Phasgonurids, 

 Crickets . 



Characteristics of Order Orthoptera : — ' 



Insects with four wings — wingless forms common. 

 The front pair is tough and horny, or parchment- 

 like, and is not used much in flight — these protect 

 the hind wings, and are termed tegmina (Plate 3, 

 Fig. 4). The hind wings are flimsy and trans- 

 parent, like an open fan when expanded, and folded 

 like a closed fan when not in use. (Plate 3, Fig. 5.) 



In many insects of this order the flying wings 

 are beautifully coloured: this is seen in the phas- 

 mids ; one of the large green leaf-phasmids having 

 the daintiest pink wings, while in a long vStick- 



