Locusta migratoria is a classic hemimetamorphosis insect and has caused widespread economic damage to crops as a migratory pest. Researches on the expression pattern of functional genes in L. migratoria have drawn focus in recent years, especially with the release of genome information. Real-time quantitative PCR is the most reproducible and sensitive approach for detecting transcript expressio...

A novel δ-endotoxin gene was cloned from a Bacillus thuringiensis strain with activity against Locusta migratoria manilensis by PCR-based genome walking. The sequence of the cry gene was 3,432 bp long, and it encoded a Cry protein of 1,144 amino acid residues with a molecular mass of 129,196.5 kDa, which exhibited 62% homology with Cry7Ba1 in the amino acid sequence. The δ-endotoxin with five c...

RNA species from locust flight muscle mitochondria with apparent molecular weights of about 0.5 and 0.2 X lo6 have been reported [l-3]. In this paper data are presented which establish the existence of particles in locust muscle mitochondria having essential properties in common with ribosomes from which these RNA species may be derived. The sedimentation constant of these particles was estimat...

1. The common inhibitory motoneurone 1 (CI1) in the mesothoracic ganglion of the locust was photoinactivated using a helium-cadmium laser or a mercury lamp as light source. Treated animals showed no signs of abnormal locomotory behaviour over periods of up to 40 days. 2. Photoinactivation of part of the neurone in the ganglion, i.e. the soma and the primary neurite, is sufficient to cause irrev...

Reed beds of Phragmites australis in the River Amudarya delta near the Aral Sea constitute permanent breeding areas of the Asian Migratory locust, Locusta migratoria migratoria. Every year, thousands of hectares are treated with broad-spectrum insecticides to prevent locust swarms from damaging crops in adjacent areas. To devise efficient locust monitoring and management plans, accurate and upd...

The degree-day (DD) model is an important tool for forecasting pest phenology and voltinism. Unfortunately, the DD model is inaccurate, as is the case for the Oriental migratory locust. To improve the existing DD model for this pest, we first studied locust development in seven growth chambers, each of which simulated the complete growing-season climate of a specific region in China (Baiquan, C...

Accurate and adaptive encoding of complex, dynamic visual information is critical for the survival of many animals. Studies across a range of taxa have investigated behavioral and neuronal responses to objects that represent a threat, such as a looming object approaching along a direct collision course. By investigating neural mechanisms of avoidance behaviors through recording multineuronal ac...