Some unusual structures inLocusta migratoria migratorioidesand their probable function as thermoreceptors

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Abstract
Adults of the African migratory locust,Locusta migratoria migratorioides(Reiche & Fairmaire), are provided with paired, segmentally arranged, specialized areas on the surface of the head, thorax and abdominal segments one to seven. Those on the head have been called theantennal crescentsand those on the thorax and abdomen thefenestrae. The cuticle of these special areas and the cellular layer associated with it are both unusual in structure and differ markedly from other parts of the body wall. Experiments designed to discover the function of the crescents and fenestrae indicate that they are much more sensitive to heat than is the surface in general, and that they probably serve as thermoreceptors. The observations and exeriments of earlier workers on the behaviour of locusts and grasshoppers when exposed to sunlight and other sources of heat are more clearly understandable on the assumption that these specialized areas function as thermorecept.