Synchrony in the hatching of eggs in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria (Orthoptera: Acrididae): egg condition influences hatching time in the laboratory and under simulated field temperatures

This study examined the time of hatching of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria Forskal (Orthoptera: Acrididae) in the laboratory to test the effect of eggs within a pod versus individualized eggs. The pod organization of eggs is thought to play a role in controlling hatching time and to facilitate synchronous hatching at constant temperatures. In the present study, we examined the hatching times of eggs in a pod and individualized eggs under 24-h thermocycles and simulated field temperatures. We tested two patterns of thermocycles consisting of a 12-h thermoperiod (35 or 30 degrees C) and 12-h cryoperiod (low temperature period; 30 or 25 degrees C), and two patterns of field temperatures observed in a natural habitat, Mauritania, in May and September. The majority of eggs hatched during low temperature periods in all patterns tested. In addition, the variances of hatching times for individualized eggs were significantly greater than for egg pods in which a clear peak of time of hatching was observed. We show that egg condition influences hatching time under thermocycles of constant and fluctuating temperatures in the laboratory, and may play a role in the adaptive time of hatching.