Ensifera

Characteristics shared by the two orthopteran suborders, Caelifera and Ensifera, are the mouthparts adapted for biting and chewing, the modified prothorax, the hind legs modified for jumping, the wing shape and venation, and the sound-producing stridulatory organs. ==Taxonomy==

, showing the front legs specialised for digging , showing the long hind legs and antennae , a subterranean family from Queensland, Australia from South India The Orthoptera Species File database lists the following superfamilies and families. • Infraorder †Elcanidea • Superfamily †Elcanoidea • Family †Elcanidae (Late Triassic - Paleocene) • Family †Permelcanidae (Early Permian - Late Triassic) • Superfamily †Permoraphidioidea • Family †Permoraphidiidae (Permian) • Family †Pseudelcanidae (Early Permian) • Family †Thueringoedischiidae (Early Permian) • Family incertae sedis • Genus †Acridiites • Infraorder Gryllidea • Superfamily Grylloidea • Family †Baissogryllidae • Family Gryllidae - true crickets • Family Mogoplistidae - scaly crickets • Family Phalangopsidae • Family †Protogryllidae • Family Trigonidiidae • Superfamily Gryllotalpoidea • Family Gryllotalpidae – mole crickets • Family Myrmecophilidae - ant crickets • Infraorder †Oedischiidea • Superfamily †Oedischioidea • Family †Anelcanidae • Family †Bintoniellidae • Family †Mesoedischiidae • Family †Oedischiidae • Family †Proparagryllacrididae • Family †Pruvostitidae • Family incertae sedis • Genus †Crinoedischia • Genus †Loxoedischia • Superfamily †Triassomantoidea • Family †Adumbratomorphidae • Family †Triassomantidae • Superfamily †Xenopteroidea • Family †Xenopteridae • Superfamily incertae sedis • family †Permotettigoniidae • Family incertae sedis • Genus †Permophyllum • Infraorder Tettigoniidea • Superfamily Hagloidea - grigs • Family †Eospilopteronidae • Family †Haglidae • Family †Hagloedischiidae • Family †Prezottophlebiidae • Family Prophalangopsidae • Family †Tuphellidae • Superfamily †Phasmomimoidea • Family †Phasmomimidae • Superfamily Rhaphidophoroidea • Family Rhaphidophoridae - camel crickets, cave crickets, cave weta • Superfamily Schizodactyloidea • Family Schizodactylidae - dune or splay-footed crickets • Superfamily Stenopelmatoidea • Family Anostostomatidae - weta (except cave weta), king crickets • Family Cooloolidae - Cooloola monsters • Family Gryllacrididae - leaf-rolling crickets • Family Stenopelmatidae - Jerusalem crickets • Superfamily Tettigonioidea • Family †Haglotettigoniidae • Family Tettigoniidae Krauss, 1902 - bush crickets, katydids, koringkrieks • Superfamily Incertae sedis • Family incertae sedis • Genus †Tettoraptor • Infraorder incertae sedis • Superfamily †Gryllavoidea • Family †Gryllavidae • Superfamily Incertae sedis • Family †Palaeorehniidae (syn "Zeuneropterinae") • Family †Vitimiidae ==Phylogeny==

: Jurassic fossil Pycnophlebia speciosa The phylogenetic relationships of the Ensifera, summarized by Darryl Gwynne in 1995 from his own work and that of earlier authors, are shown in the following cladogram, with the Orthoptera divided into two main groups, Ensifera and Caelifera (grasshoppers). Fossil Ensifera are found from the late Carboniferous period onwards. The oldest known fossil in the Archaeorthoptera, the crown group of the Orthoptera, and also the oldest member of the Pterygota (winged insects), is from the Namurian (324 mya) Lower Carboniferous beds in the Upper Silesian Basin of the Czech Republic. ==Notes==