Atbasar Locust

(Dociostaurus kraussi), a nongregarious insect of the Acrididae family. The body is from 16 to 31.5 mm long; the pronotum has a light x-shaped design; the hind femurs are thick at the base, with red or yellow tibia. There are several subspecies found in Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan; in the USSR they are found in the Southeast European USSR, in Ciscaucasia, Kazakhstan, southwestern Siberia, and Middle Asia. The locust is a dangerous pest of cereals, cotton, and meadow grasses. Hatching in the early spring, it dwells in the arid steppes and ephemeral semi-deserts and then moves into the planted fields. At the beginning of July the female lays eggs close to the soil surface and then dies. There are from three to five egg packets with from five to 21 eggs in each packet.