Morphometric Studies of the Desert Locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forsk.)

Abstract

Histories of 14 populations of desert locust are briefly described. Populations are classified, according to their histories, as being of phases solitaria, gregaria, congregans or dissocians. Temperature conditions during development are also taken into account. Three linear measurements of body parts of both sexes in samples of adults from populations studied are used for multivariant analysis. Advantages of this method of morphometric analysis over methods previously adopted in locust studies are discussed. Results of analysis are expressed geometrically, and morphometric discrimination between solitaria and gregaria populations is shown under different conditions of temp. Morphometric relationships of congregans and dissocians populations to these limits are described and discussed. It is tentatively concluded that method of analysis and its geometrical expression provide a means of using morphometrics to differentiate between populations of desert locust of different histories.