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Which Orthoptera eat other insects as well as plants?
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Orthoptera
A colorful meadow grasshopper (Chorthippus parallelus) on a wooden fence.
While most members of the order Orthoptera are primarily herbivorous, some species supplement their diet by consuming other insects.1
Specifically, certain members of groups that are typically plant-feeding exhibit predatory behavior:
- Tree crickets (Oecanthus): These insects regularly consume flowers, leaves, and other plant parts, but they also capture and eat aphids and other weak insects.1
- Katydids: Some species within this group are known to be active predators of insects.1
Although the majority of orthopterans, such as grasshoppers, are plant feeders, these examples demonstrate that some species maintain a more varied diet that includes animal protein.1