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MIGRATORY LOCUST FACTS |
Identification
The Migratory Locust is a widespread locust found in Australia and also Asia and Africa. Adults are brown or brownish green. The body is quite stout and a typical grasshopper shape with strong back legs. the wings are yellowish with no distinctive markings. This species can congregate in large swarms which can travel over one hundred kilometres in a single day. This species can cause significant damage to vegetation, and is a pest of pastures and crops such as sorghum, sugarcane, oats and wheat.
Other Names
African migratory locust, Asiatic migratory locust
Size
females to 6.5cm, males to 4.5cm
Habitat
various habitats including pasture and cultivated crops
Food
Locusta migratoria feed on plants and can eat their body weight in food each day.
Breeding
The female locust lays eggs which hatch after about 11 days . The nymphs go through a number of moults before becoming adults.
Range
Locusta migratoria is found in Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. Swarming occurs mainly in central Queensland, with sporadic populations across northern Australia from Western Australia to northern New South Wales.
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Orthoptera | | Family: | Acrididae | | Genus: | Locusta | | Species: | migratoria | | Common Name: | Migratory Locust |
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