of Locust - Project Gutenberg eText 16410.png|thumbnail|right|Nymph of Locust ''Schistocera americana'' with distinct wing-rudiments thumb|right|Locust from the 1915 Locust Plague
Locust is the name given to the swarming phase of short-horned grasshoppers of the family Acrididae. The origins and apparent extinction of certain species of locust - some of which reach 6 inches (15 cm) in length - are unclear.
These are species that can breed rapidly under suitable conditions and subsequently become gregarious and migratory. They form bands as nymphs and swarms as adults- both of which can travel great distances, rapidly stripping fields and greatly damaging crops.
Some examples of Locust species are:-
*Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria)
*Red locust (Nomadracis septemfasciata)
*Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera)
*Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria), probably the most important in terms of its very wide distribution (North Africa, Middle East, and Indian subcontinent) and its ability to migrate very widely.
*Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus) in North America had some of the largest recor...
