Latin: Orthoptera — Relevance to Fly Fishing:
Orthoptera includes grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids, insects with strong hind legs for jumping and a diverse range of songs and calls.
On this map you see where there were observations of Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids around the world. This will give you an idea of the global distribution of this class. Note that a class can have many different families, and thousands of species.
Years 2000 until now, data from GBIF
The insect class Orthoptera, commonly known as grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids, is a diverse group of insects consisting of over 20,000 known species. These insects are characterized by their large, hind jumping legs, elongated bodies, and often striking coloration. Orthoptera is divided into two main suborders: Caelifera (grasshoppers and related species) and Ensifera (crickets, katydids, and related species), with numerous families and genera within each suborder.
Orthoptera insects can be around the world, primarily in temperate and tropical regions. They are distributed across North and South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia. Orthoptera species typically inhabit a variety of environments, including grasslands, forests, and agricultural areas.
The life cycle of Orthoptera insects consists of three stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Female Orthoptera lay their eggs in soil or plant material, depending on the species. Upon hatching, the nymphs feed on plant material and undergo several molts as they grow. Once they reach their final nymphal stage, they undergo one last molt to become adult Orthoptera insects.
Orthoptera insects, particularly grasshoppers, are relevant to fly fishing due to their prevalence in terrestrial environments near water sources and their role as a food source for fish. Some well-known Orthoptera flies that are targeted by fly fishers include:
There can be thousands of species within an order, and therefore lots of different flies imitating various of these species. Flies can also imitate different stages, for example larvae, pupae and adults.
Each order has an indication of its relevance to fly fishing:
= Not so relevant
= Somewhat relevant
= Most relevant
Megaloptera
Hymenoptera
Coleoptera
Psocoptera
Archaeognatha
Lepidoptera
Trichoptera
Blattodea
Odonata
Dermaptera
Siphonaptera
Neuroptera
Mantodea
Ephemeroptera
Mecoptera
Raphidioptera
Phasmida
Plecoptera
Thysanoptera
Hemiptera
Diptera
Strepsiptera
Embioptera
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