Yellow-winged locust (Gastrimargus musicus)

Gastrimargus musicus
Photo by JJ Harrison
Other common names
Australian yellow-winged locust
Taxonomic classification
Suborder:	Caelifera
Family:	Acrididae
Subfamily:	Oedipodinae
Tribe:	Locustini
Genus:	Gastrimargus
Scientific name
Gastrimargus musicus (Fabricius, 1775)
Geography
Native countries:
Australia
Pest status
Known pest

The yellow-winged locust (Gastrimargus musicus) is easily recognized by its black and yellow hind wings and occurs across Australia’s coastal and subcoastal regions. It typically inhabits pastures, grasslands, and river flats, but populations can occasionally surge, causing local damage to crops, gardens, and rangelands. Swarms are generally less frequent, smaller, and slower than those of the Australian plague locust, though they can still impact pasturelands.

Taxonomy

For full nomenclature and taxonomic details of this taxon, see Orthoptera Species File

Identification

An illustration displaying the distinct yellow hindwing of the Yellow-winged locust.

Yellow-winged locust belongs to the subfamily of band-winged grasshoppers (Oedipodinae) who are recognized by their typically cryptic body coloration—grays, browns, or sandy tones—that help them blend into soil or vegetation, combined with their strikingly colored hind wings, which are usually concealed at rest. When flushed into flight, these wings may show yellow, orange, red, or blue fields often edged with black, a key feature distinguishing them from other subfamilies. Many species also produce a characteristic crepitation during flight. The hind femora are often robust, and the pronotum usually bears a distinct median carina that may be cut by one or more transverse sulci. Together, these traits—cryptic resting appearance, sudden wing coloration in flight, and audible crepitation—make Oedipodinae one of the most distinctive and recognizable groups of grasshoppers in the field.

The yellow-winged locust may be confused with two other large Australian locusts. From a distance it resembles the Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera) but is noticeably stouter and larger. It also shares similarities with the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), as both are large species with an elevated thorax and comparable non-swarming coloration. However, the striking yellow and black-banded hind wings, combined with the characteristic flight noise, provide reliable distinguishing features, along with its generally heavier build compared to the Australian plague locust. Like the migratory locust, the yellow-winged locust undergoes phase change, with swarming adults turning dark brown and nymphs showing even more dramatic shifts in appearance.

Identification details

The yellow-winged locust is typically green, though individuals may range from pale to dark brown, with the gregarious phase tending toward a deeper brown. In profile, the head appears slightly lower than the thorax, which is raised above the wing line and marked with a clear central ridge. The forewings, when folded, are usually darker than the body, especially in green individuals, and show several pale markings. The hind wings are the most distinctive feature, displaying a vivid yellow field crossed by a bold black band. The hind tibiae are orange to red with a lighter patch near the base. Males are easily recognized in flight by the loud crackling noise they make when approached, and unlike some related locusts, this species lacks a throat peg.

Nymphs of the yellow-winged locust are recognized by a sharply domed thorax with a distinct crest and dark V-shaped stripes across the eyes and thorax. The hind femora are banded, the rear tibiae dark, and the second wing bud shows a dark spot. They can form bands at high densities but are only occasional pests. Unlike the smaller Australian plague locust, they are larger with a domed thorax; and while similar to migratory locusts, they lack the hairy underside of the thorax. The combination of a domed crest, banded femur, and spotted wing bud is diagnostic. Click here to compare photos.

Identification resources

Title	Author(s)	Year	Geographic purview	URL
Managing locusts in Queensland		2022		View URL
APLC locust and grasshopper identification guide	Australian Plague Locust Commission
Locusts of Australia	Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries	2020		View URL

Distribution

The Yellow-winged locust is known to occur throughout mainland Australia, as well as Tasmania. Populations are primarily located in the southeast of the country, but sightings have been recorded in coastal and subcoastal regions of the north and west as well.

For more information and distribution records see [GBIF]

Biology

In more temperate regions, there is only one generation of yellow-winged locusts per year. However, in more tropical regions, there may be two or three. Eggs hatch rapidly when moist, but they may remain viable for up to ten months even in dry conditions. In central Queensland, the species usually produces two generations per year, with eggs entering winter diapause, though some second-generation eggs may hatch before winter. On the New South Wales tablelands, only one generation is typical. Swarms are infrequent and spread more slowly than other species.

Eggs are deposited in firm, bare soil, and swarms may create dense egg fields up to 4 ha in size, with reported densities of up to 270 pods/ft² (≈2700/m²). Pods lack a distinct wall. Eggs increase in size from about 5–6 mm at laying to 7.3 mm at hatching. Reported fecundity ranges from 20–60 eggs per pod and 30–81 eggs per female. Eggs hatch in 17 days under moist conditions but can remain viable for up to 10 months without moisture. Hatching occurs from September to November (first generation) and again from January to March (second generation). Nymphal development takes about 41–48 days in spring and 39 days in summer, with adults present from October to May.

Habitat and ecology

Yellow-winged locusts prefer coastal and subcoastal regions of Australia. They may be found in both tropical and temperate climates, but display a preference for regions with high rainfall. It is most often found in grassy paddocks with abundant couch or paspalum grass and is therefore commonly seen in summer across the Harvey–Waroona irrigation districts and on river flats.

Both nymphs and adults consume a variety of native and nonnative grasses, and they are often found where these grasses are in high numbers. These locusts prefer a heterogeneous habitat, containing tall grass for shelter, short grass to feed from, and patches of bare soil to lay eggs.

Eggs of G. musicus are parasitized by the wasp Scelio bipartitus and occasionally by the fly Anthomyia illocata. Under favorable soil conditions, the beetle Dermestes ater can destroy egg beds. Nymphs and adults are preyed on by birds such as white and straw-necked ibis (Threskiornis molucca, T. spinicollis), crows, frogs, and toads. Insect predators include asilid flies (Bathypogon sp.) and the sphecid wasp Chlorion saevus. Additional parasites recorded are sarcophagid flies (Sarcophaga spp., Blaesoxipha filipjevi), Piocretia australis, Trichopsidea ostracea, and mites.

Land-use change

Deforestation and grazing promote yellow-winged locust outbreaks by providing food, shelter, and bare ground for egg laying. Egg pods are usually laid in compact, overgrazed soil, and while sporadic outbreaks have caused pasture damage in recent decades, swarms in Western Australia are rarer, smaller, and slower than those of the Australian plague locust.

Pest status

The yellow-winged locust is a serious pest in northern regions with summer rainfall, where periodic summer outbreaks can devastate home gardens and cultivated crops. The majority of destruction attributed to the yellow-winged locust occurs only occasionally, and only swarms of gregarious phase individuals appear to act as a significant pest. These locusts are known to attack sorghum, maize, monterey pine, rhodes grass, and cotton, and they are occasionally a major pest of sugar cane.

Outbreaks

Sporadic outbreaks in recent decades have caused considerable but localized damage to pasture.

Associated organizations

Organization name	Acronym	Website	Type	Focus	Focus keywords	Geographic purview
New South Wales Department of Primary Industries	NSW DPI	View	Government	Education, Management	Monitoring, Control, Forecasting, Training, Natural sciences	Australia
New South Wales Local Land Services	NSW LLS	View	Government	Management	Monitoring, Control, Natural sciences	Australia
Queensland Department of Natural Resources	DNR	View	Government	Governance, Management, Monitoring, Education	Management, Control	Australia

Resources

Title	Author(s)	Year	Geographic purview	URL
Queensland locust sightings form	Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries	2025
Managing locusts in Queensland		2022		View URL
CABI Green Muscle education videos	Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International	2021
APLC locust and grasshopper identification guide	Australian Plague Locust Commission
Locusts of Australia	Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries	2020		View URL

Specimen contributors for this species

Natural history collections are built by people. The specimens that document this species were collected in the field, preserved in collections, and identified by generations of researchers and naturalists. Bionomia helps make these often-overlooked contributions visible by linking specimen records to the people behind them.

The contributors shown here are drawn from specimen records made available through GBIF and attributed to individuals by Bionomia. Each list shows up to the 20 people with the most specimens for this species, ranked from most to fewest.

Collected by

These people collected specimens of this species in the field, helping build the physical record of where and when it has occurred.

• Matthew Connors — 8 specimens collected
• Thomas Mesaglio — 6 specimens collected
• Stephen Fricker — 2 specimens collected

• Donald Hobern — 1 specimen collected
• Richard Fuller — 1 specimen collected

Identified by

These people examined specimens and determined their taxonomic identity—an essential step in turning a collected specimen into a useful biodiversity record.

• Matthew Connors — 102 specimens identified
• 태우 김 — 11 specimens identified
• Thomas Mesaglio — 9 specimens identified

• Stephen Fricker — 2 specimens identified
• Donald Hobern — 1 specimen identified