Quebrachera grasshopper

CIGLIANO, M.M., C.E. LANGE

Encyclopedia of Pest Orthoptera of the World.

China Agricultural University Press

Lugar: Pekin; Año: 2019; p. 230 - 234

In Argentina, Tropidacris collaris tends to be abundant in Córdoba, Catamarca, La Rioja, Santa Fe, Jujuy, Tucumán, Formosa, Chaco and Santiago del Estero provinces. Out of Argentina, it inhabits most of tropical South America East of the Andes. While the gregarious nymphs are voracious and eat whatever plant material they find, adults prefer the foliage of trees and shrubs with hard leaves. Major crop hosts include olive tree, jojoba, coconut palm, Acacia, corn, Sorghum, Saccharum, sugar cane, rice, and other graminaceous plants, cassava, mango, citrus trees, avocado, papaya, and unspecified cultivated and ornamental plants. Since the last two decades a sustained increased in populations occurred with obvious damage observed. At least in Argentina, T. collaris is an univoltine species with possible reproductive diapause in adult state. Egg-pods contain 88 to 166 eggs and during nymphal development, which takes place during the rainy season, five instars, possibly more, occur. The highly gregarious juveniles live in well-defined groups on the soil or lower vegetation. Adults live during the dry season and begin to die at the onset of a new rainy season. Adults, which are strong fliers, do not manifest gregarious tendencies and inhabit higher levels of vegetation. Management is under study.