Which order, known as katydids, has wings held vertically over the body, very long antennae, tarsi 4-4-4, tympana on front tibiae, and a sword-like ovipositor?

• A. Gryllacrididae
• B. Acrididae
• C. Tettigoniidae
• D. Plecoptera

Answer: (C)

Wings held vertically over the body, very long antennae, tarsi with four segments on each leg, tympana on the front tibiae, and a sword-like ovipositor are all hallmark features of katydids (family Tettigoniidae) within Orthoptera. The roof-like wings resting over the body and the exceptionally long antennae are classic “long-horned” cricket traits, and the tympanal hearing organs located on the front leg tibiae plus the long, sword-shaped ovipositor in females together create a distinctive pattern that matches katydids.

The other groups don’t fit that exact combination: grasshoppers (Acrididae) typically have shorter antennae and tympana on the abdomen, with wings that don’t rest roof-like over the body and often different leg-tarsi counts; raspy crickets (Gryllacrididae) and stoneflies (Plecoptera) have different wing arrangements and sensory structures, and their ovipositors are not the sword-like type seen in katydids.