desert locust

noun

: a destructive migratory locust (Schistocerca gregaria) of southwestern Asia and parts of northern Africa

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

The species with the most economic impact, the desert locust, threatens one-fifth of Earth’s land area and one-tenth of the global population. —National Geographic, 12 Jan. 2023

Maternal determination of progeny body size and coloration in the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, depends on the crowding conditions experienced during the short sensitive period that occurs two to six days before the deposition of the egg pod. —Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 18 Oct. 2012

Researchers developed the biohybrid sensor by combining the desert locust’s antennae, electroantennogram technology, and artificial intelligence to detect odors imperceptible to humans. —Erika Page, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Mar. 2023

Flight and fluid dynamics scientist Adrian Thomas of the The Oxford Animal Flight Group made this motion study of a tethered desert locust. —Rebecca Horne, Discover Magazine, 27 Apr. 2010

Some areas of East Africa, such as Kenya, had not seen such severe desert locust outbreaks in more than 70 years. —Joanne Shurvell, Forbes, 15 Apr. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1944, in the meaning defined above