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Classification of locusts
Locusts are insects belonging to the same order as grasshoppers, katydids and crickets - the Orthoptera (derived from the Greek words orthos meaning straight or rigid and ptera meaning wing).
In Australia there are over 2,800 species of Orthoptera and over 700 species of locusts and grasshoppers. Many species are yet to be scientifically described.
The following table shows how three main pest species of locusts in Australia are classified.
| Taxonomic category | Australian plague locust | Migratory locust | Spur-throated locust |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Animalia | Animalia | Animalia |
| Phylum | Arthropoda | Arthropoda | Arthropoda |
| Superclass | Hexapoda | Hexapoda | Hexapoda |
| Class | Insecta | Insecta | Insecta |
| Order | Orthoptera | Orthoptera | Orthoptera |
| Suborder | Caelifera | Caelifera | Caelifera |
| Superfamily | Acridoidea | Acridoidea | Acridoidea |
| Family | Acrididae | Acrididae | Acrididae |
| Subfamily | Acridinae | Acridinae | Catantopinae |
| Tribe | - | - | Cyrtacanthacridini* |
| Genus | Chortoicetes | Locusta | Austracris** |
| Species | terminifera | migratoria | guttulosa |
| Subspecies | - | migratorioides | - |
* the Cyrtacanthacridini is consider by some taxonomists to be a subfamily of the Acrididae
** Austracris guttulosa was formerly classified as Nomadacris guttulosa
Further reading
CSIRO (ed.) 1991. Insects of Australia. A textbook for students and research workers, Second Edition, Volume 1. Melbourne University Press, Carlton.
Rentz, D. C. F. 1996. Grasshopper Country: the abundant orthopteroid insects of Australia. University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.