Locusta migratoria (Linnaeus, 1758)

Usmani, Mohd. Kamil & Nayeem, Md. Rashid, 2012, Studies on taxonomy and distribution of Acridoidea (Orthoptera) of Bihar, India, Journal of Threatened Taxa 4 (13), pp. 3190-3204 : 3201

33. Locusta migratoria (Linnaeus, 1758)

Diagnostic characters: It occurs in green and brown form in the solitary phase. The species can easily be identified from other Locusts by the absence of prosternal process, the slight yellow tinting of the wings and the black anal veins are distinctive features of the species.

Material examined: 1 male, 11.vi.2009, on arhar, Bhabua, Kaimur; 1male, 2 females, 27.vi.2009, on paddy, Araria; 2 females, 27.vi.2009, on paddy, Purnia.

Morphometry: (length in mm). Male: Body 44.85, Tegmina 37.65, Hind femur 20.15, Pronotum 7.77. Female: Body 60.4, Tegmina 48.8, Hind femur 25.6, Pronotum 10.0.

Remarks: Though quite strict graminivorous and capable of causing considerable damage to grain crops, very many plants belonging to different families have been recorded as food.

Natural enemies: It is sometimes heavily infested with mites.

Distribution: Assam, Bengal, Kashmir, South India, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra.

Subfamily: Truxalinae Walker, 1870