Desert locustNymph of Locust (Schistocera americana) with distinct wing-rudiments
Discover great deals on the many hard to find and one of a kind items available only on ebay!

This site contains sponsored affiliate links.

Locust

Locust is the name given to the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. more...

HomeHome
AmphibianAmphibian
ArthropodArthropod
AntAnt
AphidAphid
BedbugBedbug
BeeBee
BeetleBeetle
Black WidowBlack Widow
BumblebeeBumblebee
CentipedeCentipede
CrabCrab
CricketCricket
Daddy LonglegsDaddy Longlegs
DragonflyDragonfly
EarthwormEarthworm
EarwigEarwig
FireflyFirefly
GlowwormGlowworm
GnatGnat
GrasshopperGrasshopper
Hermit CrabHermit Crab
HornetHornet
KatydidKatydid
LadybugLadybug
LiceLice
LobsterLobster
LocustLocust
MayflyMayfly
MillipedeMillipede
MosquitoMosquito
MothMoth
Praying MantisPraying Mantis
ScarabScarab
ScorpionScorpion
Sea MonkeySea Monkey
ShrimpShrimp
SpiderSpider
TarantulaTarantula
TickTick
TrilobiteTrilobite
WaspWasp
Wolf SpiderWolf Spider
YellowjacketYellowjacket
BirdBird
CatCat
DinosaurDinosaur
DogDog
FishFish
MammalMammal
MythologicalMythological
ReptileReptile


The origins and apparent extinction of certain species of locust—some of which reach 6 inches (15 cm) in length—are unclear.

There are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory. They form bands as nymphs and swarms as adults both of which travel great distances during which they can strip fields rapidly and in so doing greatly damage crop yields. An exacerbating factor in the damage to crops caused by locusts is their ability to adapt to eating almost any food plant.

Some examples of Locust species are:-

  • Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria)
  • Red locust (Nomadracis septemfasciata)
  • Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera)
  • Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), probably the most important in terms of its very wide distribution (North Africa, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent) and its ability to migrate very widely.
  • 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 at a distance they can be distiguished by looking at the end of their abdomen. Male has a blunt end while the female has a more pointed lip like structure.

There is a theory that the Rocky Mountain locust died out because between swarmings it bred in the eastern valleys of the Rocky Mountains, until large numbers of miners went to the area, attracted by valuable metal ores; to feed those miners, the valley bottoms in the area were ploughed up and farmed, destroying large numbers of the locusts' buried eggs.

Locusts in history and literature

According to the Bible, a swarm of locusts comprised the eighth plague in the story of the plagues of Egypt. In the Book of Revelation locusts with scorpion tails and human faces are to torment unbelievers for five months when the fifth trumpet sounds. One Old Testament book, Joel, is written in the context of a recent locust plague. Interestingly, the locusts are described in four different ways - "swarming locusts, cutting locusts, hopping locusts and destroying locusts." Although these were identified by the old Authorised Version as four different creatures, modern translations correctly identify them as four kinds of locusts. This fits with the many molts (called instars) that locusts go through. For example, the "hopper" probably denotes the larval stage (the first instar), the wings are not developed and the larva hops about. For more information about the locusts in Joel, see Raymond Dillard in Minor Prophets Vol 1, ed Thomas McComiskey.

In Plato's Phaedrus Socrates says that locusts were once human. When the Muses first brought song into the world, the beauty so captivated some people that they forgot to eat and drink until they died. The Muses turned those unfortunate souls into locusts—singing their entire lives.

In her novel On the Banks of Plum Creek Laura Ingalls Wilder writes of a "glittering cloud" of locusts so large it blocked out the sun as it approached. The swarm descended upon her family's farm near Walnut Grove, Minnesota, destroying a year's wheat crop, and stripping the prairie bare of all vegetation.

In O.E. Rølvaag's Giants in the Earth, a novel about Norwegian pioneers on the Dakota prairie, these creatures decend upon the settlement of Spring Creek. He masterfully describes the onslaught: "And now from out the sky gushed down with cruel force a living, pulsating stream, striking the backs of the helpless folk like pebbles thrown by an unseen hand; but that which fell out of the heavens was not pebbles, nor raindrops, nor hail for it would have lain inanimate where it fell; this substance had no sooner fallen that in popped up again, crackling, and snapping--rose up and disappeared in the twinkling of an eye; it flared and flittered around them like light gone mad; it chirped and buzzed through the air; it snapped and hopped along the ground; the whole place was a weltering turmoil of raging little demons; if one looked for a moment into the wind one saw nothing but glittering, lightinglike flashes--flashes that came and went, in the heart of the cloud made up of innumerable dark-brown clicking bodies!"

Latest findings

The extinction of the Rocky mountain locust has been a source of puzzlement; recent research suggests that the breeding grounds of this insect, in the valleys of the Rocky Mountains, came under sustained agriculture, destroying the underground eggs of the locust.

Research at Cambridge University has identified the swarming behaviour is a response to overcrowding. The trigger is increased tactile stimulation of the hind legs. Several contacts per minute over a four hour period are sufficient to induce transformation to the swarming variety.

Read more at Wikipedia.org


[List your site here Free!]

Spiny Drotops Armatus Long Spine Varient Trilobite from the Devonian MoroccoSpiny Drotops Armatus Long Spine Varient Trilobite from the Devonian Morocco $899.00 Arthropods: New Design Futures, by Jim Burns - 1972 - Vtg, Hardcover Book w/ DjArthropods: New Design Futures, by Jim Burns - 1972 - Vtg, Hardcover Book w/ Dj $99.95
Killer Natural Pseudodechenella Trilobite Fossil From Ny Limestone - Beautiful!Killer Natural Pseudodechenella Trilobite Fossil From Ny Limestone - Beautiful! $399.99 Zlichovaspis rugosa Trilobite Fossil Devonian Morocco Arthropod FossilZlichovaspis rugosa Trilobite Fossil Devonian Morocco Arthropod Fossil $300.00
Rare Pectocaris Soft Tissue Arthropod, Lower Cambrian of ChenhjiangRare Pectocaris Soft Tissue Arthropod, Lower Cambrian of Chenhjiang $300.32 Colorful Eccaparadoxides pradoanus Trilobite, Middle Cambrian, Murero Fm. SpainColorful Eccaparadoxides pradoanus Trilobite, Middle Cambrian, Murero Fm. Spain $65.00
Top-Quality Kolihapeltis Trilobite Fossil – Specimen in Pristine Condition!Top-Quality Kolihapeltis Trilobite Fossil – Specimen in Pristine Condition! $3,150.00 Rare! Cambrian fossil Vetulicola indet from Guanshan biotaRare! Cambrian fossil Vetulicola indet from Guanshan biota $80.00
Huge Positive Fossil Trilobite Atlas Mountains Cambropallas Telesto 8.5" InchHuge Positive Fossil Trilobite Atlas Mountains Cambropallas Telesto 8.5" Inch $40.00 Genuine Rare "Phacops"-Rana Trilobite Fossil, found in Morocco "Frog Eyes"Genuine Rare "Phacops"-Rana Trilobite Fossil, found in Morocco "Frog Eyes" $444.00
High Detail Devonian Trilobite Fossil Large 4.0" InchesHigh Detail Devonian Trilobite Fossil Large 4.0" Inches $25.00 Giant Prone Eldredgeops Milleri Trilobite From Sylvania, Ohio - Very Impressive!Giant Prone Eldredgeops Milleri Trilobite From Sylvania, Ohio - Very Impressive! $689.99
New ListingFossilized Trilobite from Morocco. 72 gramsNew ListingFossilized Trilobite from Morocco. 72 grams Extremely rare Arthropleura head Carboniferous millipede only few know on worldExtremely rare Arthropleura head Carboniferous millipede only few know on world $1,600.00
Rare Retifacies Soft Tissue Arthropod, Lower Cambrian of ChengjiangRare Retifacies Soft Tissue Arthropod, Lower Cambrian of Chengjiang $0.69 Very Rare Arctinurus Boltoni Trilobite Fossil Rochester Shale New YorkVery Rare Arctinurus Boltoni Trilobite Fossil Rochester Shale New York $600.00
New ListingTrilobite Asaphellus Stubbsi Almost 5 Inches Real 3-D. Ordovician MoroccoNew ListingTrilobite Asaphellus Stubbsi Almost 5 Inches Real 3-D. Ordovician Morocco $599.95 Anomalocaris Arthropod Fossil Model Display Replica Toy Teaching PaleontologyAnomalocaris Arthropod Fossil Model Display Replica Toy Teaching Paleontology $14.99
Very Large Selenopeltis Buchii Trilobite Fossil 450 million years oldVery Large Selenopeltis Buchii Trilobite Fossil 450 million years old $275.00 Very Rare Arctinurus Boltoni Trilobite Mouth Fossil Rochester Shale New YorkVery Rare Arctinurus Boltoni Trilobite Mouth Fossil Rochester Shale New York $65.00
Trilobite Fossil, Hollardops mesocristatus, from Morocco #2Trilobite Fossil, Hollardops mesocristatus, from Morocco #2 $79.99 Natural Trilobite Fossil, 500 Million Year Old Genuine Arthropod SpecimenNatural Trilobite Fossil, 500 Million Year Old Genuine Arthropod Specimen $9.95
2.75 inch (7 cm) illaenus atavus Ordovician Trilobite St. Petersburg, Russia2.75 inch (7 cm) illaenus atavus Ordovician Trilobite St. Petersburg, Russia $525.00 2 Lonchodomas volborthi Russian trilobite2 Lonchodomas volborthi Russian trilobite $295.00
New Listing1 inch Hatangia scita Trilobite from Cambrian Siberia, RussiaNew Listing1 inch Hatangia scita Trilobite from Cambrian Siberia, Russia $225.00 Large, Detailed Mazon Creek Split Pair Euproops Crab Fossil - Found In Shale!Large, Detailed Mazon Creek Split Pair Euproops Crab Fossil - Found In Shale! $399.99
New ListingTrilobite-Cobra Waldron Shale Calymene breviceps from Indiana-Fossils CrinoidNew ListingTrilobite-Cobra Waldron Shale Calymene breviceps from Indiana-Fossils Crinoid $250.00 Very Nice Prone Lochovella Trilobite Fossil Oklahoma W/Compound Eyes- Black Cat!Very Nice Prone Lochovella Trilobite Fossil Oklahoma W/Compound Eyes- Black Cat! $199.99
Rare Ordovician Mollusk = Diestoceras indianense,Cephalopod fossil from QuebecRare Ordovician Mollusk = Diestoceras indianense,Cephalopod fossil from Quebec $20.95 Flying Trilobite Crotalocephalina (Crotalocephalus) Fossil Foum Zguid MoroccoFlying Trilobite Crotalocephalina (Crotalocephalus) Fossil Foum Zguid Morocco $275.00
Souvenirs Entomologiques Etudes Sur L'Instinct et Moeurs Des InsectsSouvenirs Entomologiques Etudes Sur L'Instinct et Moeurs Des Insects $250.00 New ListingDicranurus Trilobite Fossil ~ Oklahoma ~ Devonian PeriodNew ListingDicranurus Trilobite Fossil ~ Oklahoma ~ Devonian Period $395.00
Trilobite Fossil Olenellus Sp Pioche Shale Lower Cambrian W/ Dendritic PatternTrilobite Fossil Olenellus Sp Pioche Shale Lower Cambrian W/ Dendritic Pattern $295.95 Zoro Select 2Jru8 16 In X 90 Ft X 1 In Polyester Air Filter Roll, Merv 8,Zoro Select 2Jru8 16 In X 90 Ft X 1 In Polyester Air Filter Roll, Merv 8, $136.45
6 Arthropod Set Prawn Grasshopper Centipede Bee Butterfly Spider Specimen6 Arthropod Set Prawn Grasshopper Centipede Bee Butterfly Spider Specimen $40.00 Extremely "Bumpy" Metascutellum pustulatum Trilobite Fossil - Museum-QualityExtremely "Bumpy" Metascutellum pustulatum Trilobite Fossil - Museum-Quality $1,500.00
Perfect! Little Gerastos Trilobite Fossil 100% Natural Morocco 49.2grPerfect! Little Gerastos Trilobite Fossil 100% Natural Morocco 49.2gr $12.99 5.5 cm Olenellus Fowerli Trilobite from Cambrian Pioche Formation, Nevada5.5 cm Olenellus Fowerli Trilobite from Cambrian Pioche Formation, Nevada $375.00
5.6" Eurypterus(Sea Scorpion) Fossil, Usa5.6" Eurypterus(Sea Scorpion) Fossil, Usa $2,300.00 25 Peronopsis Fossil Trilobites Loose25 Peronopsis Fossil Trilobites Loose $15.00
Large Moroccan Trilobite Hollardops Burtandmimiae Fossil 87.5 mm LongLarge Moroccan Trilobite Hollardops Burtandmimiae Fossil 87.5 mm Long $545.00 New ListingInternational Symposium Devonian System-Calgary 1967: Two Volume Set- TrilobitesNew ListingInternational Symposium Devonian System-Calgary 1967: Two Volume Set- Trilobites $89.00
Great Crotalocephalus Trilobite from a different location Fossil devonianGreat Crotalocephalus Trilobite from a different location Fossil devonian $59.99 Huge Gabriceraurus Trilobite! No resto! Ordovician of Ontario, CanadaHuge Gabriceraurus Trilobite! No resto! Ordovician of Ontario, Canada $328.26
Double Homotelus Trilobite plate from the Ordovician Bromide Formation, OklahomaDouble Homotelus Trilobite plate from the Ordovician Bromide Formation, Oklahoma $150.00 Stunning Spiny Leonaspis sp Trilobite Fossil From The Middle Devonian MoroccoStunning Spiny Leonaspis sp Trilobite Fossil From The Middle Devonian Morocco $140.00
Dalmanites Trilobite from Middleport, New YorkDalmanites Trilobite from Middleport, New York $35.00 Beautiful Inflated Pseudogygites Trilobite From Ontario, Canada - Great Display!Beautiful Inflated Pseudogygites Trilobite From Ontario, Canada - Great Display! $89.99
Trilobite Fossil Flexicalymene Retrorsa (and partial).Trilobite Fossil Flexicalymene Retrorsa (and partial). $39.95 Chengjiang Fossil Site~ Amazing Detail Naraoia Arthropod Fossil ~Cambrian~ ChinaChengjiang Fossil Site~ Amazing Detail Naraoia Arthropod Fossil ~Cambrian~ China $275.00
New ListingExcellent Crotalocephalus Trilobite Fossil From The DevonianNew ListingExcellent Crotalocephalus Trilobite Fossil From The Devonian $69.99 Arthropods; New Design Futures By Jim Burns 1972Arthropods; New Design Futures By Jim Burns 1972 $39.99
New ListingCambropallas Trilobite (2 halves) Atlas mountains, north MoroccoNew ListingCambropallas Trilobite (2 halves) Atlas mountains, north Morocco $595.00 New ListingTrilobite with exceptional fossilization Bolivia Devonian Eldredgeia venustusNew ListingTrilobite with exceptional fossilization Bolivia Devonian Eldredgeia venustus $49.99
Click to see more Locust items at www.ebay.com
Prices current as of last update, 03/25/25 1:35pm.

Home Contact Resources Exchange Links eBay