Which locust species have caused major agricultural damage?

Locusts are members of the family Acrididae within the order Orthoptera. While many species exist in a harmless solitary phase, certain species undergo a physiological shift to a gregarious, migratory phase, forming massive swarms that can devastate agricultural crops.12

Several locust species are noted for causing significant agricultural damage worldwide:

• Migratory locust (Locusta migratoria): Possesses the widest range of any acridid, spanning Africa, Eurasia, the East Indies, tropical Australia, and New Zealand.1
• Desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria): Inhabits dry grasslands and deserts from Africa to the Punjab.1
• Italian and Moroccan locusts (Calliptamus italicus and Dociostaurus maroccanus): Cause extensive plant damage throughout the Mediterranean area.1
• Brown and red locusts (Locustana pardalina and Nomadacris septemfasciata): Known to be extremely destructive in South Africa.1
• South American locust (Schistocerca paranensis): The primary migratory species in Central and South America.1
• Rocky Mountain locust (Melanoplus spretus) and the migratory grasshopper (M. sanguinipes): Historically destroyed many prairie farms in the United States and Canada during the 1870s.1