See Also: Orthoptera(medicine)
Orthoptera(dictionary)

Orthoptera (iou)



Orthoptera noun pl. . E19.
[mod. Latin, neut. pl. of orthopterus, from Greek ORTHO- + pteron wing: see -A3.]
(Members of) a large order of insects (the crickets, grasshoppers, etc.) having the hind legs usually enlarged and modified for jumping, and characterized by biting mouthparts and incomplete metamorphosis.
? Formerly also including the cockroaches and stick insects, now included in the separate orders Dictyoptera and Phasmida.
orthopteran noun & adjective (a) noun a member of the order Orthoptera; (b) adjective = orthopterous: M19.
orthopterist noun a person who studies Orthoptera L19.
orthopteroid adjective & noun (a) adjective of, pertaining to, or designating a group of insect orders closely related to the Orthoptera; (b) noun an orthopteroid insect: L19.
orthopterous adjective belonging or pertaining to the order Orthoptera E19.