POLYMORPHIC PHASES IN

LOCUSTS
 INTRODUCTION
 POLYMORPHISM
 The occurrence of different forms, stages or types in individual organism
or in organism of the same species, independent of sexual variation is
known as POLYMORPHISM.
 It is very common among social insects (ants, honey bees and termites).
 Phase polymorphism is found in the family Acrididae, Phasmatidae and
Tettigonidae.

 Types of Polymorphism
_ Simple polymorphism
_ Phase polymorphism
_ Caste or Social polymorphism
_ Geographical polymorphism
 Table Showing Polymorphism in Different Orders

ORDERS GENERA & SPECIES CHARACTERS

(POLYMORPHISM)
Orthoptera Locusta migratoria Phase Polymorphism
(Locust)

Dictyoptera Mantis religiosa (Mantid) Color variation

(Simple Polymorphism)
Isoptera Termes spp. (Termites) Caste Polymorphism

Lepidoptera Parnassius appolo Geographical

(appolo butterfly) Polymorphism
 PHASE POLYMORPHISM
 Insects like Locusts, Crickets, Phasmids and Tettigonids etc.
show phase polymorphism by having two distinct phenotypes
and these are known as Phases.
 Locusts show density dependent phase polymorphism.
 LOCUSTS
 Are members of grasshopper family Acrididae with Phase
polymorphism & great potential of migration in swarms.
 They have appeared during course of evolution 100s of
millions of years before man.
 They can withstand all ecological disturbances like attack of
predators, parasites, bacteria, viruses etc.
 SPECIES OF LOCUSTS
 Desert Locust- Schistocerca gregaria
 Migratory Locust- Locusta migratoria
 Bombay Locust- Patanga succincta
 Red Locust- Nomadacris septemfasciata
 PHASE THEORY
Given by Uvarov (1921)
According to the theory, True locusts belong to Family
Acrididae are polymorphic species.

Morphologically and Biologically different forms are Phases.

Three possible phases in a Locust population are

Solitarious phase
Gregarious phase
Transient phase
 SOLITARIOUS PHASE
In their solitary phase,
locusts are unassuming
insects. Their brown-green
bodies are camouflaged to
blend into the background
and they walk slowly with a
low, creeping gait.
They generally avoid other
locusts and prefer to live in
isolation.
 GREGARIOUS PHASE
Changes in behavior resulting from crowding include becoming
more active and being attracted rather than repelled by other
locusts—responses that can initiate swarm formation under
suitable environmental conditions.

BROWN GREGARIOUS & GREEN SOLITARIOUS LOCUSTS

 TRANSIENT PHASE

Phase transition includes rapid behavioral change (occurring in

a matter of hours), whereas color, shape, and reproductive
physiology alter more gradually.

 Transient phase divide into:-

 Phase Congregans or Transient Congregans
 Phase Dissocians or Transient Dissocians
  The locusts of the solitary phase live in isolation.
The converse change from the solitary phase to the
gregarious phase occurs when the density of
population increases

 The change from the solitary phase to the gregarious

phase (and vice-versa) is progressive and, between
these two phases (or forms), some individual insects
show intermediate characteristics: the transiens
dissocians and the transiens congregans.
 PHASE DIFFERENCES
 Phase differences in the species of locust exhibited by
behaviour, morphology, body color, physiology & biology
(instar).
 Only morphology alone cannot define the status of a Locust
because in nature there are Gregarious behaving
solitariously looking Locusts & vice versa
 In locust body parts show phase variation in their size &
mutual ratios, like-
 Head Width (C)
 Length of Hind Femur (F)
 Length of Elytron (forewing) (E)
According to Phase Theory of Uvarov (1921) Phase
Gregaria & Solitaria differ by two morphometrics indices:
 Ratioof length of Elytron (E) to the length of hind
femur (F) is (E/F)
 Ratio of length of Hind femur (F) to the width of
Cranium (C) is (F/C)

STANDARD MORPHOMETRICAL RATIOS

PHASES E/F F/C
Solitary 2.05cm or below 3.75cm or above

Transiens 2.06cm – 2.15cm 3.16cm - 3.74cm

Gregarious 2.16cm or above 3.15cm or below

 Table Showing Phase Differences In Locusts
PHASES BEHAVIOU MORPHOLOGY BODY COLOUR PHYSIOLOGY BIOLOGY
R
 Adults  Body parts  Mature  They have  They are with 5
GREGARIA form smaller. adults bright higher moults.
swarms Eyes heavily yellow in respiratory  Number of
where pigmented colour. rate, i.e. eggs/pods is low.
as the with dark  Hoppers oxygen  Frequency of egg
bands brown with uptake. laying twice.
are pigment patterns of  Their  The number of
formed with 6 yellow, compound eye strips equal
by vertical black, eyes form in both male &
hoppers brown orange & apposition female.
. strips. brown. image.
 They fly  Head  Image
by day bulged. formed is
and do  Pronotum sharp.
not concave.
avoid  Antennal
strong segments 26
light.
PHASES BEHAVIOUR MORPHOLOGY BODY COLOUR PHYSIOLOGY BIOLOGY

 They do not  Body parts  Adult feebly  They have  They

form swarms larger. yellow. low undergo 4-
SOLITARIA & bands.  Eyes slightly  Hoppers respiratory 7 moults.
 They avoid pigmented with rate.  Number of
strong with 6-7 patterns of  Compound eggs/ pods
sunlight & strips. green, eyes form is high.
adults fly  Antennal yellow & ash Pseudo-  Frequency
singly segments white. super of egg
generally at varies from position laying
night. 25-30 image. is 3 times.
 Pronotum  Image  Sexes have
convex formed is variable
hazy. eye strips.
TRANSIENS  Have
intermediate
characters
LOCUSTS AS FOOD
LIFE CYCLE OF LOCUST
 Total life span is about 8 weeks during which the locust reproduce
and dies.
 SWARM FORMATION
 Locusts aggregate and travel
long distances in dense masses
called swarms.
 This gregarious phase is a
strategy born of desperation
and driven by hunger –
swarming is a response to find
pastures.
 A single swarm may be of a
size from few sq. miles to
several thousands sq. miles.
 The swarms formed like a dark curtain called stratiform
 Slow moving dark masses termed as cumuliform
 SWARMS AND THEIR OUTBREAK
 Bands of wingless hoppers &
Swarms of winged adults formed as
a result of overcrowding is called as
an OUTBREAK.
 An uncontrolled outbreak leads to
the formation of further hopper bands
and adult swarms called an UPSURGE
 If an upsurge is not controlled and
locust population continues to increase
in number then condition called as
PLAGUE
 Both plague & upsurge takes several
months to develop.
The largest known swarm covered 513,000 sq.km. comprising
approximately 12.5 trillion locusts and weighing 27.5 million tonnes.
 DESTRUCTION DUE TO AN OUTBREAK
 An outbreak causes immense
damage to crops and trees, and
sometimes resulting in severe
fodder famines and considerable
loss of livestock.
 Desert locusts have the capacity to
destroy vast areas of croplands
causing great economic loss.
 Outbreak commonly occurs but only
few leads to upsurges & few
upsurges leads to Plague.
 The last major plague was in 1984-
87 & last major upsurge was in
2003-05.
 DAMAGE TO CROPS DAMAGE TO TREES

DEATH DUE TO FAMINE LOSS OF LIVESTOCK

 METHODS FOR CONTROLLING
POPULATION OF LOCUSTS
 Include- 1) Poison baits
2) Dusting & spraying

 1) USE OF POISON BAITS

 Produce less consistent efficacy than sprays.
 Have certain environmental advantages.
 Poison baits are useful if locusts have settled to feed on
crops.
 2) DUSTING AND SPRAYING
Can be done on the hoppers directly or it
may be done on strips of ground.
Spraying the eggs infecting uncultivated
land is very effective for killing the emerging
hoppers.
Once the hoppers have emerged, they can
be effectively controlled by dusting or spraying or
both.
Most commonly used pesticides are
Fenitrothion, Chlorpyrifos and Fipronil.
 Aerial spraying of the flying swarms & ground
hoppers has to be resorted for quick control.
 CONCLUSION

 Locust shows density dependent phase polymorphism.

 Phase polymorphism in locust is characterized by two
limiting forms- phase gregaria & phase solitaria.
Intermediate phase- phase transiens.
 Serious damage to agricultural crops when locust become
gregarious & form swarms.
 Confirmation of different locust phases is by the help of
standard morphometrical ratios.
 Various methods have been developed to control locust
population.
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