Saginae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Ordo: Orthoptera
Subordo: Ensifera
Infraordo: Tettigoniidea
Superfamilia: Tettigonioidea

Familia:Tettigoniidae
Subfamilia: Saginae
Genera (4): Clonia – Cloniella – Peringueyella – Saga
Name

Saginae Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1878
References

Brunner von Wattenwyl, C. 1878. Monographie der Phaneropteriden. Wien (Brockhaus), 401 pp., 8 pls. Reference page.

Links

Saginae – Taxon details on Encyclopedia of Life (EOL).
Saginae – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Saginae – Taxon details on National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI).
Saginae – Taxon details on Orthoptera Species File.

The Saginae, commonly known as the predatory katydids or predatory bush-crickets, is a subfamily of the family Tettigoniidae (the bush-crickets or katydids). They are mostly found in Europe,[1] west and central Asia and southern Africa.[2]

The Saginae are specialist carnivores, which is unusual among the Orthoptera.[3] Their specialist carnivory and appropriately adapted digestive tracts even were regarded as unique in the order Orthoptera, but at least some members of two other subfamilies, the Austrosaginae and Listroscelidinae are partly or completely predatory as well, and until recently those subfamilies were included in the Saginae.

Genera and selected Species
Clonia wahlbergi

Clonia Stål, 1855
Clonia wahlbergi Stål, 1855
Cloniella Kaltenbach, 1971
Cloniella praedatoria (Distant, 1892)
Cloniella zambesica Kaltenbach, 1971
Emptera Saussure, 1888
Emptera indica (Herbst, 1786)
Peringueyella Saussure, 1888
Peringueyella jocosa Saussure, 1888
Peringueyella macrocephala (Schaum, 1853)
Peringueyella rentzi Kaltenbach, 1981
Peringueyella zulu Kaltenbach, 1971
Saga Charpentier, 1825
Saga pedo (Pallas, 1771)

Description
Saga pedo about to oviposit an egg in soil

Members of the Saginae are gracile and elongated in build compared to say, most locusts or crickets, but their four anterior walking legs, as opposed to their two posterior leaping legs, are powerful and lined with spines, mainly along their inner edges. They apply those inner spines in clasping their prey. Some species have spines on the outer surfaces and on the leaping legs as well; those external spines probably are defensive in function. The jaws of Saginae are not spectacular, but are large, powerful, sharp, and businesslike, as befits predators, and the insects do not hesitate to bite when handled.

The Saginae are large insects, some species with a body length of more than 50 mm, not counting the antennae or ovipositor, which are long, typically about as long as the body.

The ovipositor is long and sword-like, and used for oviposition in soil.
References

Lemonnier-Darcemont M., Darcemont C., Heller K.-G., Dutrillaux A.-M. & Dutrillaux B., (2016) : Saginae of Europe. Édition G.E.E.M., Cannes, France. 208 pp. ISBN 978-2-9537533-9-4
Orthoptera species file (retrieved 3 January 2018)
Holm, E.; Scholtz, C. H. (1985). Insects of southern Africa. London: Butterworths. ISBN 0-409-10487-6.