Moroccan locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus)
| Dociostaurus maroccanus Moroccan locust | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Distribution | |
| Taxonomy | |
| Family: | Acrididae |
| Subfamily: | Gomphocerinae |
| Genus: | Dociostaurus |
| Additional resources | |
| Full taxonomy at OSF | |
| Sound recordings | |
| Listen to this species at xeno-canto! | |
The Moroccan Locust was potentially the species whose spectacular plagues were described in the Bible. In modern times, crop damage from these insects has been reported in more than 25 countries although it is generally decreasing, likely because croplands are replacing locust habitat.
Nomenclature
Dociostaurus maroccanus (Thunberg, 1815). For full nomenclature, see this taxon's page on Orthoptera Species File
Identification
| Phase | Stage | Color | Wings | Legs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gregarious | nymph | |||
| Gregarious | immature adult | |||
| Gregarious | mature adult | |||
| Solitarious | nymph | |||
| Solitarious | immature adult | |||
| Solitarious | adult |
Identification resources
| Name | Year published | Resource link | Descriptive keyword | Language | Geographic purview | Author | Year published |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moroccan locust info poster | 2021 | Biology, Ecology, Monitoring, Species identification, Behavior, Population dynamics | Azerbaijani, Russian | FAO Locust Watch Locusts in Caucasus and Central Asia, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations | 2021 | ||
| Orthoptera Species File | View | Species identification, Biology | English | Orthoptera Species File Online |
Distribution
The Moroccan locust is found from the Atlantic islands (Canaries, Madeira) in the west to Kazakhstan and Afghanistan in the east. The northern limits of its distribution area are reached in Hungary and Rumania.[1]
In Africa, the species occurs in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt, with latitude 28N as the southern edge of its distribution area.[1]
In west and central Europe, it is found in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovnia, Montenegro, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovenia, Serbia, and Kosovo, Greece, Bulgaria, Moldova and south-west Ukraine as well as in Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia).[1]
In the Middle East and Minor Asia, it is found in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Jordan, Iraq and Afghanistan.[1]
The Moroccan Locust is present in all Central Asian countries, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, the latter hosting the extreme north-eastern point of its distribution area (60 km E of Almaty).[1]
The Moroccan Locust is not found north to 49N[1]
For more information and distribution records see [GBIF]
Biology
| Phase | Developmental time |
|---|---|
| Eggs | |
| Hopper | |
| Adult | |
| Laying-fledging | |
| Adult maturation | |
| Total |
Habitat and ecology
Land-use change
Pest status
Recent outbreaks
Italy 2019 -2020
Outbreak media coverage
2020
Sardinian farmers suffer worst locust invasion in over 30 years July 13, 2022
Israeli locust expert flies to Sardinia to help fight outbreak July 4, 2022
Locusts infested about 2,000 hectares of farm land in Aksy May 10, 2022
Sardinia hit by worst locust invasion for 70 years June 11, 2019
Associated organizations
| Organization name | Acronym | Website | Type | Focus | Focus keywords | Geographic purview |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAO Locust Watch Locusts in Caucasus and Central Asia | CCA | View | Intergovernmental Organization | Education, Information Hub, Governance | Training, Regional cooperation, Monitoring, Control, Policy, Forecasting | |
| FAO Plant Production and Protection Division | NSP | View | Intergovernmental Organization | Information Hub | Agricultural development, Community development, Emergency assistance, Forecasting, Regional cooperation, Sustainable development, Training, Natural sciences | |
| Laore Sardegna | Government | Management | Control | |||
| Scientific Research Institute of Plant Quarantine and Protection | View | Government |
Resources