Schistocerca gregaria
(Forskal, 1775)
Desert Locust
Taxonomy:
Orthoptera>>Caelifera>>Acridoidea>>Acrididae>>Cyrtacanthacridinae
Status: Occasional migrant.
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.
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.
Distribution: The records held by the National Biodiversity Network are shown in the map below.
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Only the following datasets are included:
- Biological Records Centre - Grasshopper and Cricket (Orthoptera) and related species records from Britain and Ireland to 2007
Other datasets on the gateway may hold additional information.