Desert Locust
Taxonomy
Orthoptera » Caelifera » Acridoidea » Acrididae » Cyrtacanthacridinae » Schistocerca gregaria
Status
MI
Distribution Map
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.
Recordings
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
60 - 90 mm
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.