Locust Species
- Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), probably the best known owing to its very wide distribution (North Africa, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent) and its ability to migrate very widely.
- Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria)
- Red locust (Nomadracis septemfasciata)
- Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera)
- American desert locust (Schistocerca americana)
- Brown locust (Locustana pardalina)
- Moroccan locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus)
- Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus) in North America had some of the largest recorded swarms, but died out in the late 19th century.
Though the female and the male look alike, they can be distinguished by looking at the end of their abdomens. The male has a boat-shaped tip, while the female has two serrated valves that can be either apart or kept together. These valves aid in the digging of the hole in which an egg pod is deposited. Desert locusts can measure roughly 75 millimetres (3.0 in) in length.
In addition, a number of "grasshopper" species such as the Senegalese grasshopper Oedaleus senegalensis, and the rice grasshopper Hieroglyphus daganensis (both from the Sahel), often display locust-like behaviour and change morphologically on crowding.
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