Locusta migratoria Linnaeus, 1758

Nutrition:
In general, grasses, including cereals.

Habitat:
Locusta migratoria occurs preferably in warm lowland wetlands of Southern Europe, but can be found as well on gravel bars, dry grasslands, agrigultural fields etc. I found it even at 1900m above sea level in a dry mountain meadow at the Colle di Tende in the Italian Alps (photo).

Life cycle:
Imagines are mostly found from June until well into November. In southern Europe adults are observed even in winter and spring (for example in March on Mallorca).

Endangerment factors:
Overall, Locusta migratoria is still only little endangered, especially at the northern edge of its distribution (e.g. on the southern foothills of the Alps) due to wetland destruction and loss of suitable habitats. Outbreaks of this species as they had been frequent in the 19th century are rare today because of the intense use of land (pesticides!) and the resulting absence of large optimal habitats.

Remarks:
Locusta migratoria is distributed in Southern Europe and parts of southern Central Europe (north to the southern foothills of the Alps, mainly around the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions). Today, Locusta migratoria is extinct in Germany. Additionally, Locusta migratoria occurs in parts of North Africa, Macaronesia and parts of the warmer Asia.