Nature 219, 865 - 866 (24 August 1968); doi:10.1038/219865a0

Further Experiments on the Effects of Social Factors on the Rate of Sexual Maturation in the Desert Locust

M. J. RICHARDS & M. A. EL MANGOURY

Anti-Locust Research Centre, London.
Parasites Laboratory, Plant Protection Department, Dokki, UAR.

MALES of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) produce a pheromone when they are sexually mature which accelerates maturation of young males and virgin females^1,2. The mature males used as activators in the experiments which established this fact were all reared during hopper (nymphal) and early adult life at high density; as the density of rearing has far-reaching effects on the physiology of locusts, it could not be assumed without further experiment that previously isolated mature males would exert the same influence.

References

1.	Norris, M. J., Anti-Locust Bull., No. 18 (1954).
2.	Loher, W., Proc. Roy. Soc., B, 153, 380 (1960). | ISI |
3.	Norris, M. J., Nature, 203, 784 (1964). | ISI |
4.	Norris, M. J., and Pener, M. P., Nature, 208, 1122 (1965). | ISI |