Sphenarium | |
---|---|
Sphenarium purpurascens | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Orthoptera |
Suborder: | Caelifera |
Family: | Pyrgomorphidae |
Subfamily: | Pyrgomorphinae |
Tribe: | Sphenariini |
Genus: | Sphenarium Charpentier, 1842[1] |
Species | |
See text |
Sphenarium is a genus of grasshoppers in the family Pyrgomorphidae, native to Mexico and northern Central America.[2][3] During outbreaks, they can cause significant damage to agricultural crops.[3][4] Conversely, they have been caught for human consumption, for example as chapulines, since pre-Columbian times, a practice that also continues today.[3][4]