Rearing and breeding of the Moroccan locust Dociostaurus maroccanus (Thunberg) (Orthop., Acrididae) under laboratory conditions

The objective of the present work was to design a rearing method for the Moroccan or Mediterranean locust Dociostaurus maroccanus and to breed it. The duration of the post-embryonic development from N1 to adult ranged between 35 and 38 days, independently of whether nymphs were reared at constant temperature or in cages with incandescent light bulbs that afford heat for thermo-regulation. In contrast, the number of nymphs reaching the adult stage was directly related to the power of the bulb from 0 to 60 W. The rearing density did not affect the survival and developmental time of nymphs over the range 100–400 nymphs per cage. The survival of D. maroccanus nymphs under optimal conditions, which were a 60 W bulb and 400 nymphs per cage, was around 60%. The mean number of egg-pods per female ranged between 2.6 and 3.5, and no difference was observed among rearing densities, with 16 pairs per cage being the optimal breeding condition. The number of eggs per egg pod ranged from 15 to 25, the egg viability from 20 to 50% and the adult longevity from 30 to 40 days. Eggs deposited by D. maroccanus females reared under these laboratory conditions were viable and thus the present study has 'closed' the life cycle of this species for the first time. The rearing method developed in this study will provide elements for studies of biology and physiology and it can be used in the design of new, environmentally sound pest management measures.