Although locusts can be sustainably produced and are nutrient rich, the thought of eating them can be hard to swallow for many consumers. This paper aims to investigate the nutritional composition of Locusta migratoria, including the properties of extracted locust protein, contributing to limited literature and product development opportunities for industry. Locusts sourced from Dunedin, New Ze...

We investigated encoding properties of identified auditory interneurons in two not closely related grasshopper species (Acrididae). The neurons can be homologized on the basis of their similar morphologies and physiologies. As test stimuli, we used the species-specific stridulation signals of Chorthippus biguttulus, which evidently are not relevant for the other species, Locusta migratoria. We ...

Using light and electron microscopy (both scanning and transmission), we observed the presence of sensilla chaetica and hairs on the cerci of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria L. (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Based on their fine structures, three types of sensilla chaetica were identified: long, medium, and short. Males presented significantly more numbers of medium and short sensilla chaetic...

The behavioral plasticity of locusts is a striking trait presented during the reversible phase transition between solitary and gregarious individuals. However, the results of serotonin as a neurotransmitter from the migratory locust Locusta migratoria in phase transition showed an alternative profile compared to the results from the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. In this study, we investi...

Weibel and Taylor's theory of symmorphosis predicts that the structural components of the respiratory system are quantitatively adjusted to satisfy, but not exceed, an animal's maximum requirement for oxygen. We tested this in the respiratory system of the adult migratory locust Locusta migratoria by comparing the aerobic capacity of hopping and flight muscle with the morphology of the oxygen c...

The potential effect of population outbreaks on within and between genetic variation of populations in pest species has rarely been assessed. In this study, we compare patterns of genetic variation in different sets of historically frequently outbreaking and rarely outbreaking populations of an agricultural pest of major importance, the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria. We analyse genetic v...

The organization and functional properties of interneurons in the flight system of the locust, Locusta migratoria, were investigated by using intracellular recording and staining techniques. Interneurons were found to be distributed within the three thoracic and the first three abdominal ganglia, and they could be subdivided into three organizational categories: (1) members of one of two serial...

The retinoid X receptor (RXR) is activated by its often elusive cognate ligand, 9-cis-retinoic acid (9-cis-RA). In flies and moths, molting is mediated by a heterodimer ecdysone receptor consisting of the ecdysone monomer (EcR) and an RXR homolog, ultraspiracle (USP); the latter is believed to have diverged from its RXR origin. In the more primitive insect, Locusta migratoria (Lm), RXR is more ...