Daniel Otte

I am a taxon scientist who specializes on the the taxonomy and biogeography of Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, katydids and their relatives), but I concentrate mainly on grasshoppers (Acridoidea) and crickets (Grylloidea). My principal interest, besides discovering new taxa, is in studying the origin of species.

Over my career I have worked mainly on large faunal treatments of crickets (crickets of Australia, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Fiji, and New Caledonia) and grasshoppers (North America and southern Africa). I have discovered and named approximately 1600 species and have discovered nearly 25% of the World’s 5000+ cricket species.

Over my career I have worked mainly on large faunal treatments of crickets (crickets of Australia, Hawaii, the Caribbean, Fiji, and New Caledonia) and grasshoppers (North America and southern Africa). I have discovered and named approximately 1600 species and have discovered nearly 25% of the World’s 5000+ cricket species.

I spent approximately 15 years assembling major online catalogs to the world’s species of Orthoptera, Mantodea, Phasmida and Blattodea. All told, the catalogs cover about 45,000 species. The databases are almost unique in biology in scope; they cover all known species and have begun to accumulate everything known about the world’s species (images, distribution, habitat, ecology, life cycles, etc). The Orthoptera Species File is now financially endowed and will be supported in perpetuity. No other taxonomic databases are as comprehensive.

I spent approximately 15 years assembling major online catalogs to the world’s species of Orthoptera, Mantodea, Phasmida and Blattodea. All told, the catalogs cover about 45,000 species. The databases are almost unique in biology in scope; they cover all known species and have begun to accumulate everything known about the world’s species (images, distribution, habitat, ecology, life cycles, etc). The Orthoptera Species File is now financially endowed and will be supported in perpetuity. No other taxonomic databases are as comprehensive.

I spend much of my time working in museums that have good holdings of North American and southern African grasshoppers (Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, University of Michigan, California Academy of Sciences, and the National Insect Collection in Pretoria).

Daniel Otte, PhD is currently senior curator in the Division of Systematics and Evolutionary Biology at the Academy of Natural Sciences. He was a postdoctoral fellow of Richard Alexander, PhD of the University of Michigan for 15 months in Australia (1968-1969). He served as assistant professor of Zoology at the University of Texas at Austin from 1969 to 1975. He served as Associate Curator of Entomology from 1975 to 1980 and as Senior Curator of Entomology from 1980 to the present.

He has conducted research on crickets throughout the world, but especially in Hawaii, Australia, Africa, the Caribbean islands, and various Pacific islands. His research on grasshoppers has taken place throughout North America (Belize to Canada) and in Southern Africa (South Africa, Namibia, Botwana, and Lesotho).

During his career he has discovered more than 1500 new species.

He was recipient of the Leidy Medal at the Academy of Natural Sciences for his work on evolution and systematics of insects.