Evolution of katydids, a preliminary molecular phylogeny of the family Tettigoniidae (Orthoptera: Ensifera)

Tettigoniidae is the second largest family in the order Orthoptera, which contains twenty subfamilies and over 6,000 species that are distributed worldwide. Commonly known as katydids or bush-crickets, Tettigoniidae is well-known for acoustic communication, complex camouflage and mimicry. This family also contains many species that are agriculturally important. To date, most of the phylogenetic hypotheses for the group have been based on the investigation of the morphology or behavior, but little work has been done using molecular data. Moreover, these previous phylogenetic hypotheses have left many questions concerning the relationships among the subfamilies within the family. With the utilization of four molecular loci (18s, 28s, CAD, and Wingless) we have reconstructed a preliminary phylogeny to test the monophyly of the family and to better understand the relationships among the subfamilies. We find Tettigoniidae as well as a number of subfamilies to be monophyletic. We also discuss the evolution of predatory behavior in light of the phylogeny.