Features: usually green, brown or black, with large head and short tentacles; The front chest backboard is hard, extending to the left and right like a saddle, and the middle chest and back chest can't move when they heal. With developed feet, especially muscular hind legs and hard exoskeleton, he is an expert in jumping. The tibia has a sharp saw and is an effective defensive weapon. The ovipositor has no obvious protrusion, which is the biggest difference from the owl.
In addition to tentacles, grasshoppers have a pair of compound eyes on their heads, which are the main visual organs. There are three monocular eyes at the same time, which can only be sensitive. There are mouthparts under the head, which are the feeding organs of locusts. The mouthparts of grasshoppers are composed of upper lip (1 piece), upper jaw (1 piece), tongue (1 piece), lower jaw (1 piece) and lower lip (1 piece). Its upper jaw is hard and suitable for chewing, so this mouthpiece is called chewing mouthpiece.
On both sides of the first section of the abdomen of locusts, there are a pair of half-moon membranes, which are the auditory organs of locusts. A row of small holes arranged neatly on the left and right sides is the valve. From the middle chest to the eighth abdominal segment, each segment has a pair of valves, * * * with 10 pairs. Each valve communicates inward with the trachea (below). Grasshoppers have trachea with different thickness, which branches again and again, and finally contact with each cell with tiny branches to breathe. Therefore, the valve is the gateway for gas to enter and leave the locust body.
Feeding habits: I like to eat thick leaves, such as sweet potatoes and water spinach.
Abnormal condition: incomplete abnormal condition.
Insecta, Arthropoda, Animal Kingdom.
After mating, the female locust inserts the oviposition tube into the soil with a depth of 10cm, and lays about 50 eggs.
When laying eggs, the female will secrete white material to form a cylindrical plug, and then lay eggs.
The development process of locusts is rather complicated (II). Its life begins with a fertilized egg. The larvae just hatched from eggs have no wings and can jump, which is called jumping insects. The flea is similar in shape and living habits to adults, but smaller in size and immature in reproductive organs, so it is also called nymph. If an insect grows up gradually, it will shed its original exoskeleton when it is restricted by the exoskeleton and can no longer grow up. This is called molting. Nymphs molt five times in their lives. From hatching to molting for the first time, the age is 1, and every molting thereafter, the age increases 1. After the 3rd instar, the wing buds are remarkable. Become a flying adult after 5 years old. It can be seen that the individual development process of locusts goes through three stages: egg, nymph and adult. A developmental process like this is called incomplete metamorphosis. When an insect develops from a fertilized egg to an adult, it can produce the whole individual development history of its offspring, which is called the first generation. Locusts can produce two generations of summer locusts and autumn locusts a year in some parts of China, so there are two generations.
This is an egg that has been developed for 19 days; At about 24℃, locust eggs can hatch in about 2 1 day. The hatched nymph crawls out of the soil. At this time, its appearance is very similar to that of adults, except that it has no wings and its body color is lighter. Larvae looks more like adults in the first year or two, but the head is out of proportion to the body. Winged buds grow at the third age, which is obvious at the fourth age. When the nymph is five years old, it will climb to the plant and hang for a while, and then the adult will come out.
Morphology and living habits: both adults and larvae of locusts can chew the stems and leaves of plants with developed chewing mouthparts.
Locusts are good at flying and jumping, and a pair of tentacles in the head are organs that combine smell and touch. Its chewing mouthparts have a pair of developed jaws with teeth, which can bite off the stems and leaves of plants. Its hind foot is very strong, and it mainly depends on it when jumping. When locusts fly, their hind wings play a major role, and when they rest, their front wings cover their rear wings for protection. The female insect has a strong "ovipositor" at the end of her abdomen, which can be inserted into the soil to lay eggs. Locust spawning sites are mostly wet river banks, lakes, foothills and ridges. Every 30 to 60 eggs are grouped together. Immature locusts hatched from eggs are called "locusts" and need to molt five times to develop into adults. A large number of eggs can be hatched after the rain clears. Locusts also have amazing flying ability, which can fly continuously 1~3 days. When locusts fly by, the sound of swarms of locusts flapping their wings is amazing, just like a storm roaring in the ocean.
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Adult hind limbs and legs have a series of mastoid processes equivalent to elastic devices, and the base of radial veins of anterior wings has thick veins equivalent to chordal devices. When they rub, the vibrating area of the vibrating wings can make sound, which is their sounder. The auditory organs of locusts are also very special, located on the side of the first abdominal segment.
locust
Source: Qimo Knowledge+
Locusts are herbivorous insects. The larvae hatched from eggs are similar to adults and often sneak into the grass to feed on the stems and leaves of plants.
The green body color of larvae is a natural protective color, which can hide itself in green plants and is not easy to be found by enemies. However, when they are active in the daytime, they are often caught and killed by birds. So wingless larvae rarely move in the grass and live alone in inconspicuous places. When the larvae are in danger, they often jump suddenly on their hind feet and jump into the depths of the grass.
Adult grasshoppers on the grassland
Herbivorous locust larvae, the protective color of the body is green; However, in the adult stage, because spawning and mating must be carried out on the sparse ground of plants, the body color after eclosion usually turns brown very similar to the ground.
In addition, in autumn, the body color of adults will also become similar to that of hay.
Insects that are also herbivores will also change their body color due to different habitats and growing periods.
Locust mating and spawning
Visually looking for female locusts.
Grasshoppers that move on the open grassland have very developed eyes.
If you throw sawdust on the grass, the nearby male locusts will suddenly jump on the sawdust; This is because it mistook sawdust for female locusts and wanted to mate with them. So adults can use their eyes to find the difference of the opposite sex.
Adult locusts often haunt the grass and gather in the open space with sparse green grass and wide vision to mate with their partners.
Mating of negative locust
It is not easy for negative locusts to find mating partners on the vast plains.
Males also use their eyes to find a mate, but in order to find a mate, the body color, head and antenna shape of the mate must be confirmed at an early stage.
When it is confirmed that it is a female insect of the same species, the male insect rides on the back of the female insect, keeps this posture and lives together until the mating period comes.
The purpose of this mating method is to ensure the mating of the same kind and prevent hybridization.
Summon female locusts by chirping.
Among the small locusts hidden in the haystack, there are also some who call the female insects with songs during the day. This grasshopper makes a sound by rubbing a file on its front wing with its hind foot. This kind of sound can not only show its sphere of influence, summon locusts, but also threaten other kinds of locusts. Because of different kinds, songs are different.
When females of the same species hear the male's call, they will be called into the male's sphere of influence and then get close to each other to mate.
Grasshoppers that lay eggs on soil and plant stems.
After mating, the female locust inserts the oviposition tube into the ground to lay eggs; Grasshoppers without oviposition tubes will also insert their bellies into the soil and wrap them in foam to lay eggs. Some species also insert the ovipositor into the stem or trunk of human grass to lay eggs in it.
Straight-winged insects mate only l times a year, usually between summer and autumn; Then lay the eggs in the soil, or in the stems of plants, and overwinter with them. But there are also some species that are enough for larvae and adults to spend the winter.
Migrating locusts
Grasshoppers usually live sparsely on vast grasslands. However, in places with suitable climate, lush plants and few natural enemies, the number will continue to increase. Therefore, the number and food intake of locusts will gradually become unbalanced, and locusts with black bodies will gradually be born. Black locusts gradually gathered together and appeared in groups, becoming winged locusts.
These locusts will fly out together and migrate in groups in order to find food-rich places. In China or Africa, it is often seen that a large number of locusts suddenly fly by, covering the sky and discoloring the earth. Locusts crossing the border often cause large-scale losses and disasters to crops.
When locusts live in scattered communities, their body color is as green as the surrounding plants, and they can blend in with the environment. When the number increases, the body color of similar locusts will turn black, causing adults to grow wings. Changes like this, in order to move and find another food and shelter, are called migration.
A grasshopper with wings
Black locust with long wings is a deformed locust that is produced by feeding too many locusts in a narrow living environment.
When the number of locusts per unit area increases, there will be fights between them. At this time, the smell of the same kind will stimulate the brain of locusts, make the hormones in the body play a role and change the structure of the body.
Therefore, after peeling, locusts become black feathers and winged migratory locusts.