What is a locust and how do they differ from grasshoppers?
A locust is a type of insect belonging to the same order as grasshoppers, kaytdids and crickets – the Orthoptera (derived from the Greek words orthos meaning straight or rigid and ptera meaning wing). Locusts are identical in appearance to grasshoppers with which they share the family Acrididae. The only difference between the two types of insects is that locusts can exist in two different behavioural states (solitary and gregarious) whereas grasshoppers do not. When the population density is low locusts behave as individuals, much like grasshoppers. However, when the population density is high, locusts form highly mobile gregariously* behaving bands of nymphs or swarms of adults.
