Tests for Parthenogenesis in Migratory, Differential, and Desert Grasshoppers1

Because parthenogenesis occurs in some Acrididae, testing the reproductive ability of virgin females is advisable before studying the effect of mating variations on grasshopper reproduction. In 1962, while adults were being reared for sexual attraction tests, several virgin females of the migratory grasshopper, Melanoplus sanguinipes (V.), and the differential grasshopper, M. differentialis (Thomas), laid eggs. Uvarov (1928) named 4 species of Acrididae in which parthenogenesis had been observed but it was not proved that the progeny could reach the adult stage or reproduce themselves. Hamilton (1955) listed 10 species and described his own experiments in which 6 successive generations of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria Forskal, were reared parthenogenetically. Later, Bergerard and Seuge (1959) observed hatching in about 20% of the eggs laid by virgin females of the migratory locust, Locusta migratoria L., but hardly 15% of the hatched nymphs reached the adult stage. These adults reproduced without fertilization. In 1963 virgin females of M. sanguinipes, M. differentialis, and the desert grasshopper, Trimerotropis pallidipennis pallidipennis (Burmeister), were observed for parthenogenesis and results are presented in this note.