Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal, 1775)
Desert Locust
Taxonomy:
- Orthoptera›Caelifera›Acridoidea›Acrididae›Cyrtacanthacridinae›Schistocerca gregaria
Status:
Distribution
Colours show the year of the last record -
| up to 1987 | 1988-97 | 1998 up to present |
Only Recording Scheme datasets are included. Other datasets on the Gateway may hold additional information.
Description:
The “gregarious” form that is most likely to be found in Britain is a large yellow-brown grasshopper with multiple vertical bars down the eyes. Peg between the forelegs, but no central keel on the pronotum. Nymphs appear quite different from the adults; they are bright yellow with contrasting black markings. Adults of the solitary form are greenish with a humped thorax.
Size:
Wings:
In the gregarious form, both sexes have long wings and fly well.
Stridulation:
Short burst of rapid ticking.
Food:
Mostly herbivorous.
Habitat:
Native habitat of this species is dry areas of scrub and desert. It occurs in Britain as a rare vagrant or as an escape from pet shops, where it is commonly stocked as live reptile food.
Phenology:
Adults appear late summer to early autumn, though escapes may occur all year round.