Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal, 1775)

Usmani, Mohammad Kamil, 2008, Studies on Acridoidea (Orthoptera) with some new records from Fezzan, Libya, Zootaxa 1946, pp. 1-41 : 19-20

15. Schistocerca gregaria (Forskal, 1775)

(Desert Locust)

Diagnosis: It can easily be identified by its large size; grey-brownish colour; large, irregular spots on tegmina; blunt and slightly bent prosternal process; constricted and saddle-shaped pronotum; bilobate male subgenital plate; wide, flat and blunt cerci.

Habitats: This species inhabits a broad belt of arid and semi-arid land. Preferred oviposition sites are in sandy soils and perennial grasses, herbs and shrubs. It is a mixed feeder, damaging a very wide variety of cultivated and non-cultivated crops. Damage has been reported from various countries including Libya. A few specimens were collected from sandy localities surrounded by grasses, herbs and shrubs.

Material examined: Al Shati region: Idri , 1 ♂, on alfalfa, 13.iv.1993 ; Qattah , 1 ♀, on grass, 15.xii.1992 ; Qirah , 2 ♀, on alfalfa, 12.xi.1992 ; Wanzarik , 1 ♂, on barley, 13.iv.1993 . Ghat region: Al Barkat , 3 ♂, 2 ♀, on alfalfa & barley, 19.vii.1995 ; Ghat, 5 ♀, on wheat, 18.vii.1995 . Murzuk region: Al Qatrun , 4 ♂, 2 ♀, on alfalfa & Millet, 15.v.1993 ; Ed Disah , 2 ♀, on alfalfa, 27.iv.1993 . Sebha region: Samnu , 2 ♂, 3 ♀, on alfalfa & grass, 18.v.1994 ; Sebha, 3 ♂, 1 ♀, on barley & grass, 8.vi.1995 ; Tamanhent , 3 ♀, on great millet, 18.v.1995 .

Localities: Cyrenaica: Augila, Barca, Bengasi, Fueihat, Gariunes, Gebel Hausah, Gialo, Giardaba, Oasi di Giarabub , Haret el hafun, Kufra, Rebiana, Zawia Mechili; Tripolitania: Gharian el Garbia, Misurata,Uadi Marsit; Fezzan: Al Qatrun, Idri, Qatta, Qirah, Ed Disah, Ghat, Samnu, Sebha, Serdeles, Tamanhent, Tibesti, Wanzarik .

Distribution: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Sahara, Hoggar, Tibesti, Rio de Oro, Senegal, Southern region of Sahara and Sudan South to Kenya, Sinai Peninsula, Togo, N. Nigeria, Ethiopia, Somaliland, Kilimanjaro, Tanganyika, Eritrea, Ascension Is., Canary Is., Azores, Cape verde, Madeira, Arabia, Southern Iran, Western Pakistan, Desert region of North-Western India, Transcaucasis, S.W. Asia,MiddleAsia.

Remarks: This species is commonly known as desert Locust. It is distributed throughout Africa. Earlier recorded from different parts of Libya by Rizzardi (1896), Werner (1908), I. Bolivar(1915), Ghigi (1913), Giglio-Tos (1923), Zanon (1924), Capra (1929), Salfi (1930a, 1934), Shaw (1933) and Jannone (1938). This species was reported from Fezzan by Salfi (1935a) and Ajaili et al. (1989).