| Locusta migratoria cinerascens | |
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| Locusta migratoria cinerascens, male | |
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Orthoptera |
| Suborder: | Caelifera |
| Family: | Acrididae |
| Genus: | Locusta |
| Species: | |
| Subspecies: | L. m. cinerascens |
| Trinomial name | |
| Locusta migratoria cinerascens (Fabricius, 1781) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Locusta migratoria cinerascens is a subspecies of the migratory locust (L. migratoria) in the family Acrididae. [2]
This species is present in Italy and Spain.
Locusts are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they become more abundant and change their behaviour and habits, becoming gregarious. No taxonomic distinction is made between locust and grasshopper species; the basis for the definition is whether a species forms swarms under intermittently suitable conditions; this has evolved independently in multiple lineages, comprising at least 18 genera in 5 different subfamilies.
The migratory locust is the most widespread locust species, and the only species in the genus Locusta. It occurs throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. It used to be common in Europe but has now become rare there. Because of the vast geographic area it occupies, which comprises many different ecological zones, numerous subspecies have been described. However, not all experts agree on the validity of some of these subspecies.
Bandwings, or band-winged grasshoppers, are the subfamily Oedipodinae of grasshoppers classified under the family Acrididae. They have a worldwide distribution and were originally elevated to full family status as the Oedipodidae. Many species primarily inhabit xeric weedy fields, and some are considered to be important locusts:
A tegula is a small sclerite situated above the base of the costal vein in the wings of various insects such as Orthoptera, Lepidoptera, Hymenoptera, Diptera, and Auchenorrhyncha, and attached to the antero-lateral portion of the mesonotum. It is densely innervated, with sensory bristles, campaniform sensilla, as well as a chordotonal organ in some species.
Adipokinetic hormones (AKHs) are metabolic neuropeptides, mediating mobilization of energy substrates in many insects.
Crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) is a highly conserved, amidated cyclic nonapeptide with the primary structure PFCNAFTGC-NH2 (ProPheCysAsnAlaPheTyrGlyCys-NH2) and a disulfide bridge between Cys3 and Cys9. It is found in crustaceans and insects where it behaves as a cardioaccelerator, neuropeptide transmitter for other areas of the nervous system and a hormone. CCAP was first isolated from the pericardial organs of the shore crab Carcinus maenas, where it has a role in regulating heartbeat. It was assumed that this was the peptide's main function and its name reflects this.
Corazonin is a highly conserved neuropeptide found in many insects, in particular locusts and cockroaches.
Sir Boris Petrovitch Uvarov was a Russian-British entomologist best known for his work on the biology and ecology of locusts. He has been called the father of acridology.
In 2012, Madagascar had an upsurge in the size of its Malagasy migratory locust populations. In November of that year, the government issued a locust alert, saying that conditions were right for swarming of the pest insects. In February 2013, Cyclone Haruna struck the country, creating optimal conditions for locust breeding. By late March 2013, approximately 50% of the country was infested by swarms of locusts, with each swarm consisting of more than one billion insects. The authorities changed the situation to plague status. According to one eyewitness: "You don't see anything except locusts. You turn around, there are locusts everywhere".
Antaxius pedestris is a species of "bush crickets" belonging to the family Tettigoniidae. It was originally described by Johan Christian Fabricius under the scientific name of Locusta pedestris.
Pacifastin is a family of serine proteinase inhibitors found in arthropods. Pacifastin inhibits the serine peptidases trypsin and chymotrypsin.
Locusta migratoria manilensis, commonly known as the Oriental migratory locust, is a subspecies of the migratory locust in the family Acrididae. It is sufficiently different in size and structure from the African migratory locust to be considered a distinct subspecies of the migratory locust. It is found in southeastern Asia and is an important agricultural pest in the region. It is normally a solitary insect but when conditions are suitable, it enters into a gregarious phase when the young form into bands which move together and the adults into swarms. Although outbreaks may have recently been fewer in number and size because of changes in agricultural practices and better locust detection, the insects remain active as crop pests and the potential for outbreaks is still present.
Locusta migratoria migratorioides, commonly known as the African migratory locust, is a subspecies of the migratory locust family Acrididae.
Betaentomopoxvirus is a genus of viruses, in the family Poxviridae, in the subfamily Entomopoxvirinae. Lepidoptera and orthoptera insects serve as natural hosts. There are 16 species in this genus.
CYP305M2 is a cytochrome P450 enzyme found in migratory locust that catalyzes the key step of biosynthesis of phenylacetonitrile (PAN). PAN in turn is used as an aposematic chemical defense against predators.
Gregarina garnhami is a eukaryotic unicellular organism belonging to the Apicomplexa described in 1956 by Canning as a parasite found in several locusts, such as the desert locust, African migratory locust, and Egyptian locust. Especially, the desert locust is the host for this species, as up to 100% of animals can become infected. An estimated thousands of different species of gregarines can be in insects and 99% of these gregarines still need to be described. Each insect is said to host multiple species. A remarkable feature of G. garnhami is its autofluorescence.
CYP303A1 is an insect gene belongs to the cytochrome P450 family, first found in Drosophila melanogaster, highly expressed in pupal stage. Its ortholog also found in Locusta migratoria.
The femoral chordotonal organ is a group of mechanosensory neurons found in an insect leg that detects the movements and the position of the femur/tibia joint. It is thought to function as a proprioceptor that is critical for precise control of leg position by sending the information regarding the femur/tibia joint to the motor circuits in the ventral nerve cord and the brain