What habitats do Orthoptera live in?

Orthoptera inhabit a diverse range of environments across the globe, with their distribution influenced by factors such as vegetation type, moisture levels, and altitude. They are particularly abundant in tropical regions, though they are also common in temperate areas during warmer months.12

Specific habitats include:

• Terrestrial Landscapes: Many species thrive in grasslands, semiarid regions, and lowland tropical forests. Others are found in open woodlands or abandoned fields, often utilizing leaf litter or plant foliage for shelter.31
• Subterranean and Specialized Shelters: Some orthopterans, such as mole crickets, create subterranean galleries in soil. Caves serve as a specialized habitat for nearly 200 species of crickets and long-horned grasshoppers.14
• Extreme Environments: Certain grasshoppers breed at high altitudes in the Himalayas, reaching up to 6,000 meters. In desert regions, some species exhibit "self-burial" behavior to shelter themselves in sand.134
• Aquatic and Semi-Aquatic Areas: A few species, such as those in the family Pauliniidae, live on floating vegetation and swim in water. Some semi-aquatic orthopterans have evolved specialized legs for swimming.34