Morphology of Immature Stages of Schistocerca gregaria with Special References to its Size Variations
Morphology of Immature Stages of Schistocerca gregaria with Special References to its Size Variations
Ahmed Ali Samejo* and Riffat Sultana*
ABSTRACT
Adults as well as immature of Schistocerca gregaria are voracious vegetation consumer and destructive pest to the useful plants. Morphology and morphometry of immatures of desert locust in relation to gaining of body length and weight at each consecutive stage was carried out for the purpose of investigating the role of immatures in destruction of plants in Thar Desert, Sindh. Hatchlings of solitarious S.gregaria were light green at the time of emergence, but turned over to black with yellow strips after two hours of hatching, when they were placed in crowded condition. However, they remained green, when they were in solitary condition. Solitarious hoppers were passed through five nymphal stages during development into adult in field as well as in laboratory condition. Comparative morphometry revealed that in relation to previous stages 2nd and 3rd nymphal stages gained much more length and weight as compared to 4th and 5th nymphal stages. Correlations between length and weight of hoppers of each nymphal stage were positive. It could be concluded that 4th and 5thinstars were voracious in consuming vegetation and having more chances of survival than 1st, 2nd and 3rd instars. Finally this study suggests that 4th and 5th instars, which were neglected previously, are the potential enemies of agro economy in Thar Desert.
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August
2019
Vol. 51, Iss. 4, Pages 1203-1598
