Grasshoppers, Locusts, and Crickets of the World

About this book

Grasshoppers, locusts, crickets, bush crickets, and katydids make up the order of insects known as Orthoptera. Although there are about 30,000 species of Orthoptera around the world, many people pay little attention to them, and even scientists know relatively little about them. Yet the world of grasshoppers is a fascinating and diverse one. In this richly illustrated book, leading researchers from around the world detail the many facets of these insects, including their evolution, life cycles, and mating behaviour. The book presents interesting facts and stories about species such as monkey hoppers, Cooloola monsters, king crickets, wetas, and sandgropers. It also describes efforts to protect grasshoppers and the relationship between humans and these insects.

The book features four main sections:
- Orthoptera in space and time: fossil record, evolution, and systematics
- The biology of Orthoptera: life cycle, ecology, and bioacoustics
- The diversity of Orthoptera by geographic region
- Orthoptera and humans: locusts, Orthoptera as food, Orthoptera as pets, and conservation

Originally published in German in 2025 as Die Welt der Heuschrecken: Faszinierende Lebensweise, unterschätzte Vielfalt by Haupt Verlag.

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Biography

Martin Husemann is the scientific director of the Natural History Museum Karlsruhe in Karlsruhe, Germany. He studies the evolution of biodiversity, especially in rapidly diverging and species-rich systems.

Oliver Hawlitschek is a lecturer who teaches about the biodiversity of invertebrates at the University of Zurich. His research focuses on evolutionary biology, biodiversity, and species conservation.