Cyrtacanthacridinae Explained

The Cyrtacanthacridinae are a subfamily of Orthoptera: Caelifera in the family Acrididae. They are sometimes referred-to as bird locusts,^[1] criquets voyageurs in French-speaking Africa, and Knarrschrecken in German.

It includes species of locusts, short-horned grasshoppers that undergo phase polymorphism and are among the most important pests of sub-Saharan Africa;^[2] they include the desert locust and the red locust, with the related Bombay locust in Asia.^[3]

One of the characteristics of members of this subfamily is the prominent peg between the forelegs: hence the name for the Australian Spur-throated locust.

Genera

The following genera have been included with a single tribe separated:^{[1] [4]}

Cyrtacanthacridini

Auth. Kirby, 1910; worldwide distribution (mostly tropical and sub-tropical)

1. Anacridium Uvarov, 1923
2. Chondracris Uvarov, 1923
3. Cyrtacanthacris Walker, 1870
4. Nomadacris Uvarov, 1923 - monotypic N. septemfaciata
5. Ornithacris Uvarov, 1924
6. Patanga Uvarov, 1923
7. †Proschistocerca (P. oligocaenica Zeuner, 1937)
8. Rhadinacris Uvarov, 1923 - monotypic Rhadinacris schistocercoides (Brancsik, 1892) from Madagascar
9. Schistocerca Stål, 1873
10. Valanga Uvarov, 1923
11. Willemsea Uvarov, 1923 - monotypic Willemsea bimaculata (Willemse, 1922) from New Guinea

tribe unassigned

• Acanthacris Uvarov, 1923
• Acridoderes Bolívar, 1889
• Adramita Uvarov, 1936
• Armatacris Yin, 1979
• Austracris Uvarov, 1923
• Bryophyma Uvarov, 1923
• Caledonula Uvarov, 1939
• Callichloracris Ramme, 1931
• Congoa Bolívar, 1911
• Cristacridium Willemse, 1932
• Finotina Uvarov, 1923
• Gowdeya Uvarov, 1923
• Halmenus Scudder, 1893
• Hebridea Willemse, 1926
• Kinkalidia Sjöstedt, 1931
• Kraussaria Uvarov, 1923
• Mabacris Donskoff, 1986
• Nichelius Bolívar, 1888
• Ootua Uvarov, 1927
• Ordinacris Dirsh, 1966
• Orthacanthacris Karsch, 1896
• Pachyacris Uvarov, 1923
• Pachynotacris Uvarov, 1923
• Parakinkalidia Donskoff, 1986
• Parapachyacris Yin & Yin, 2008
• Rhytidacris Uvarov, 1923
• Ritchiella Mungai, 1992
• Taiacris Donskoff, 1986

References

1. http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=1112281 Orthoptera species file: Cyrtacanthacridinae (retrieved 6 August 2019)
2. Song. Hojun. Wenzel. John W.. 2008. Phylogeny of bird-grasshopper subfamily Cyrtacanthacridinae (Orthoptera: Acrididae) and the evolution of locust phase polyphenism. Cladistics. 24. 4. 515–542. 10.1111/j.1096-0031.2007.00190.x. 34879633 .
3. http://orthoptera.speciesfile.org/Common/basic/Taxa.aspx?TaxonNameID=44679 Orthoptera Species File (accessed 20 June 2017)
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=37267 NCBI: Cyrtacanthacridinae (retrieved 6 August 2019)

^[5]