What insect species has the binomial name Locusta migratoria?

The insect species with the binomial name *Locusta migratoria* is the migratory locust.

It is the only species in the genus *Locusta* and is one of the most widely distributed locusts, occurring across parts of Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Like other locusts, it is a grasshopper in the family Acrididae.

A major source of confusion is the desert locust, *Schistocerca gregaria*. Both species can become gregarious and form damaging swarms, but they are different species in different genera. The migratory locust can also occur in a solitary phase; crowding and environmental conditions may trigger changes in appearance and behavior known as phase polyphenism.

Its scientific name was published under Linnaean zoological naming, and numerous subspecies have been proposed because the species occupies such a large geographic range. Taxonomists do not agree on the validity of every proposed subspecies, but the species-level identification remains clear.