The Tettigoniinae are a subfamily of bush crickets or katydids, which contains hundreds of species in about twelve tribes.

Distribution

The greatest diversity is in the Palaearctic region and many of the familiar European species of bush crickets (e.g. in the genera Metrioptera, Pholidoptera, Platycleis and the type genus Tettigonia) are in this subfamily. They are attributed to an ancient Gondwana fauna, which is reflected in the known distribution of the southern African genera, which are in turn related to Australian and North American genera in the tribe Nedubini (e.g. Neduba and Aglaothorax). Extant genera are native to: the Americas (where they may be called shield-backed katydids), Australia, southern Africa, Europe (especially Mediterranean), and the Near East. The faunas of the Neotropics and Australia are more closely related to one other than to those of southern Africa and Madagascar (in tribe Arytropteridini), although the three faunas are related.

Tribes and genera

In the Orthoptera Species File, the following are listed:

Arytropteridini

Auth. Caudell, 1908; distribution: Southern Africa

Ctenodecticini

Auth. Caudell, 1908; distribution: Palaearctic

Decticini

Auth. Herman, 1874 (synonyms Decticidae or Dectici Herman, 1874); distribution: Palaearctic

Drymadusini

Auth. Uvarov, 1924; distribution: Palaearctic, Nearctic

Gampsocleidini

Auth. Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893; distribution: Palaearctic

Glyphonotini

Auth. Tarbinsky, 1932 (synonyms: Glyphonotinae Tarbinsky, 1932; Glyphontini); distribution: Palaearctic, Australia

Nedubini

Auth. Gorochov, 1988; distribution: Americas, Australia

Onconotini

Auth. Tarbinsky, 1940; distribution: Palaearctic

Pholidopterini

Auth. Ramme, 1951; distribution: Palaearctic

Plagiostirini

Auth. Storozhenko, 1994; distribution: Nearctic

Platycleidini

Auth. Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893; distribution: Nearctic, Palaearctic, probably through to Australasia

Tettigoniini

Auth. Krauss, 1902; distribution: Nearctic, Palaearctic, possibly through to Australasia

Tribe incertae sedis

Examples and Gallery

The Mormon cricket, actually a katydid and member of this subfamily, has been known to cause extensive damage when it breeds in large numbers in cropland. 123 species are native to North America.