Whenconditions are just ripe , swarms of winged , famished dirt ball condescend upon doomed role of the earth . They bring mayhem on agriculture , consuming fruit , vegetables , and almost any type ofplant matterthey can slump their jawbone into . For farmers impact by the pest , the particulars of what to call them are probably far from their mind . For the ease of us , however , the question is worth pondering : Do these insect invasions comprise locusts or grasshopper , andwhat ’s the differencebetween the creature ?
Anatomy of a Swarm
In a2010 articleon locust published in theEncyclopedia of Animal Behavior , Alexandre Latchininsky , extension bug-hunter for the State of Wyoming , explain that “ all locusts are grasshopper but not all grasshopper are locust . ” He delineate locust as “ brusque - horned grasshoppers ( Orthoptera : Acrididae ) , distinguish by their density - dependent behavioural , physiologic , and phenotypic polymorphism . ”
The phenotype mutableness refers to the fact that for some subspecies of locusts , the different stage of life are cross off by different people of color and even body frame . However , it is the behavioural aspect — the mass aggroup together — that is most famous . The act of swarming , or exhibiting a so - call in “ gregarious phase , ” is the most obvious feature that identify a subspecies of grasshopper as a locust .
Latchininsky explained in his newspaper publisher that “ out of more than 12,000 describe grasshopper mintage in the cosmos , only about a 12 showing sound out behavioural and/or structural divergence between phases of both houri and adults , and should be considered locusts . ” And in fact , the tendency to swarm together is a relatively recent phenomenon in grasshopper evolution .
Identity Crisis
Such drove can seem around the world . In 2014 , locusts teem New Mexico in swarm so thick they showed up on the radio detection and ranging like , well , literal clouds .
“ It is a pain in the neck to mass because they fly into people ’s faces while walking , take to the woods , and biking , ” John R. Garlisch , extension agent at Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service , toldABC News . “ They are hopping into multitude ’s homes and garages , they splash the windshield and car grill while driving , and they will eat people ’s industrial plant . ”
That New Mexico swarm was anamolous in the louse humans . It consisted of extremity of theAcrididaefamily , which are the non - swarming members of the grasshopper designation . Latchininsky tells Mental Floss that this has pass off roughly a XII times in evolutionary history . However , he cautions that , “ these periodic gatherings do not mean that these grasshoppers are locusts ! There are only a dozen or so true locust tree species in which the gain of density causes behavior changes come by physiological , morphological and other phenotype change . ” establish on palliate factors — the previous year ’s monsoon season couple on with a teetotal winter — the 2014 phenomenon seemed to be a sheath of too many grasshoppers in too little space as opposed to a proclivity to swarm .
Still , Latchininsky speculates that it , “ may be a first evolutionary step towards this species becoming a locust in a distant future . ”
Grasshoppers vs. Locusts Cheat Sheet
Category
Appearance
Behavior
Diet
Grasshoppers
Group
bombastic hind branch ; green to brown ; wings
May or may not have a swarm phase
Plants
locust
Subgroup
Has a swarming phase
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A version of this article was originally published in 2014 and has been updated for 2024 .
