Long distance migration by adults of Chortoicetes terminifera (Wlk.) in Australia was shown to be associated with the accumulation of fat-body lipid. Lipid was accumulated if the plant growth index was 0·3 or more within a week of the final moult; when the plant growth index was less than 0·3, there was little fat accumulation. Locusts with large amounts of fat-body lipid migrated on nights with warm strong winds, while those with little persisted.
Examples of the persistence of adult infestations of Chortoicetes terminifera (Wlk.) in Australia were contrasted with ones where mass displacement took place. Migration occurred if sufficient rain had fallen at the nymphal stage to produce green pasture; persistence was associated with drought.
Few population genetics studies have been carried out on major locust species. In particular, an understanding of the population genetic structure of the Australian plague locust, Chortoicetes terminifera, is lacking. We isolated and characterized eight polymorphic microsatellite loci in C. terminifera, and described experimental conditions for polymerase chain reaction multiplexing and genotyping these loci. The number of alleles per locus ranged from 11 to 29 and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.797 to 0.977. One locus was found to be X-linked. Results of cross-taxon amplification tests are reported in four species of the Oedipodinae subfamily.
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