locust
Sign in to savethumb|Locusts, such as this migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), are grasshoppers in a migratory phase of their life. thumb|Millions of swarming [[Australian plague locusts on the move]]
AI overview
Locusts are grasshoppers that enter a migratory phase during which they form enormous swarms and travel long distances. These swarms matter because they can cause significant damage to crops and vegetation across large areas.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
18 sectionsContents
- Swarming grasshoppers
- Solitary and gregarious phases
- Distribution and diversity
- Evolution
- Interaction with humans and animals
- Ancient times
- Recent times
- Monitoring
- Control
- As experimental models
- As food
- Historic usage
- Current cultural variation
- Usage and nutrition
- See also
- Notes
- References
- External links
thumb|Locusts, such as this migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), are grasshoppers in a migratory phase of their life. thumb|Millions of swarming [[Australian plague locusts on the move]]
Locusts (derived from the Latin locusta, locust or lobster) 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.