Bandwings, or band-winged grasshoppers, are the subfamilyOedipodinae[1] of grasshoppers classified under the familyAcrididae. They have a worldwide distribution and were originally elevated to full family status as the Oedipodidae.[2] Many species primarily inhabit xeric weedy fields, and some are considered to be important locusts:
These grasshoppers often have colorful hindwings that may be yellow or red and edged with black. Others have black hindwings with pale edges, and a few species (including the most economically important ones) have clear hindwings. The arolium is extremely small or absent.
Defense
When bandwings feel safe, they appear drab. When they feel threatened, they leap out to reveal bold and bright colors. Some predators might even mistake the blue-winged grasshopper for a butterfly. But when the predator looks for the grasshopper, it is hiding in the grass. Bandwings continue this process if the predator tries to attack them.
Tribes and genera
The Orthoptera Species File lists the following:[3]
The genus Cibolacris was originally placed in Oedipodinae, and later moved to Gomphocerinae. The genus Stethophyma is traditionally included in Oedipodinae, but North American authors in particular sometimes place it in the Gomphocerinae or Acridinae. Some authors place all members of Oedipodinae within the subfamily Acridinae, and there has been much confusion and debate about the limits and relationships of the two subfamilies.[8][9][10][11]
^Daniel Otte, 1982, 'The North American Grasshoppers, Volume 1: Acrididae: Gomphocerinae and Acridinae', Harvard University Press. ISBN9780674626607
^DCF Rentz, RC Lewis, YN Su & MS Upton, 2003, 'A Guide to Australian Grasshoppers and Locusts', Natural History Publications (Borneo). ISBN983-812-074-X , ISBN978-983-812-074-6