Siberian Locust

(Gomphocerus sibiricus), a nonswarming locust of the family Acrididae, a dangerous pest of hayfields, pastures, and cereal plantings. The males are 18–23 mm long, and the females 19–25 mm. Adults are usually brown, olive, or greenish, with faint stripes of light and dark coloration. The elytra are brownish, and the wings colorless. Of the ten subspecies, those found in the USSR include G. sibiricus sibiricus, G. sibiricus caucasicus, and G. sibiricus turkestanicus. The principal habitats of the locusts are plains and mountains of the forest-steppe and steppe zones.

The larvae of G. sibiricus sibiricus hatch early in summer and molt five times. Maturation and mating occur in early August, and eggs are deposited in August and September. Each female deposits nine to 18 egg clusters. The Siberian locust usually destroys the leaves and, to a lesser extent, the stems of cultivated plants. (It eats mainly the grains of winter crops.) The insect generally consumes all parts of wild vegetation. Control measures are the same as for the common locust.