Ensifera is a suborder of insects that includes the various types of crickets and their allies, including true crickets, camel crickets, bush crickets or katydids, grigs, wētā, and Cooloola monsters. This and the suborder Caelifera (grasshoppers and their allies) make up the order Orthoptera. Ensifera is believed to be a more ancient group than Caelifera, with its origins in the Carboniferous period, the split having occurred at the end of the Permian period. Unlike the Caelifera, the Ensifera contain numerous members that are partially carnivorous, feeding on other insects, as well as plants.
Ensifer is Latin for "sword bearer", and refers to the typically elongated and blade-like ovipositor of the females.
Characteristics
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
thumb|upright|A [[mole cricket, showing the front legs specialised for digging]]
thumb|upright|A [[Rhaphidophoridae|cave cricket, showing the long hind legs and antennae]]
thumb|upright|A [[Cooloola monster, a subterranean family from Queensland, Australia]]
thumb|upright|A [[Schizodactylidae|splay-footed cricket 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 <small>Krauss, 1902</small> - 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
thumb|[[Prophalangopsidae: 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,