Red locust nomadacris septemfasciata (serville) upsurges in northern madagascar between 1998 and 2004

Abstract

The Red locust (Nomadacris septemfasciata Serville) is commonly found in southern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. In Madagascar until 1998, only infested crop fields were controlled. However, since 1998 the Red locust has caused considerable crop damage in northern Madagascar, where gregarious individuals were identified for the first time in Madagascar in 2002. In this study, an accurate history of the outbreaks which occurred between 1998 and 2004 is drawn up on the basis of field surveys and anecdotal data. A total area of more than 60,000 ha was infested between 2001 and 2003, at the peak of the outbreak. With these results, we can make out a first biogeographical synthesis for this locust. © 2012 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.