Kitaran Hidup Belalang – Metamorfosis Belalang

('Life Cycle of a Grasshopper – Grasshopper Metamorphosis’)


Berikut adalah tiga peringkat dalam kitaran hidup belalang.
(‘Following are the three stages in the life cycle of grasshoppers.’)

Telur : Belalang betina akan bertelur dan telur – telur terkandung di dalam karung berkulit keras, selalunya melebihi sepuluh, di dalam tanah atau antara daun – daun yang gugur. Setiap karung mengandungi 10 – 300 telur yang berbentuk butiran beras. Kemudian, nymph menetas dan menjadi nymph. Telur belalang boleh berada dalam keadaan dorman pada musim luruh dan sejuk, lebih kurang sepuluh bulan, bagi Negara yang mengalami empat musim.
(‘Egg: the female grasshoppers lay the fertilized eggs in the form of egg pods, usually more than ten, either in the sand or among leaf litters. Each egg pod consists of about 10-300 eggs that are rice shaped. Then, the eggs hatch into nymphs. The eggs can remain dormant in autumn and winter seasons, for almost ten months, for the four seasons country.’)

Nymph : Sejurus selepas menetas, nymph muda (nymph instar pertama) mula memakan daun – daun tumbuhan yang lembut dan lembap. Nymph adalah versi miniatur bagi belalang dewasa, hanya ia berwarna cerah dan tidak mempunyai sayap. Nymph mengalami 5 – 6 kali proses salin kulit dan berubah bentuk dan struktur, sebelum menjadi dewasa. Peringkat ini berlaku selama 5 – 10 hari, bergantung kepada spesis dan keadaan cuaca, terutama suhu dan kelembapan. Ketika nymph bersalin kulit, saiz mereka akan bertambah dan sayap terbentuk pada bahagian toraks badan.
(‘Nymph: Immediately after hatching, the young nymphs (first instar nymphs) start feeding on soft and succulent plant foliages. Nymphs are miniature versions of adult grasshoppers, except that they are light in color and do not possess wings. Nymphs undergo 5-6 molts and change their form and structure, before becoming adults. The nymphal stage may last for a period of 5-10 days, based on the species and the weather condition, especially temperature and humidity. As the nymphs molt, their size increases and wing pads progressively develop on the thorax portion of the body.’)

Dewasa : Selepas 25 – 30 hari, sayap lengkap terbentuk dan nymph menjadi matang menjadi dewasa. Tempoh masa perkembangan telur sehingga dewasa, mengambil masa 11 bulan. Belalang dewasa mencapai tempoh matang mengawan selama 15 hari dan hidup selama 30 hari.
(‘Adult: After 25-30 days, the wings are developed completely and the nymphs mature into adults. Thus, by the time, an egg matures into an adult, the grasshopper is about eleven months old. The adult grasshoppers gain sexual maturity within 15 days and survive for a span of about 30 days.’)

Jangka hayat belalang adalah lebih kurang 12 bulan. Kajian mendapati bahawa kadar hayat nymph selepas menetas ialah 50 peratus, ini kerana ia akan dimakan oleh pemangsa seperti burung, haiwan rodensia dan cicak. Belalang memainkan peranan penting dalam ekosistem, menjadi sumber makanan kepada pemangsa dalam rantai makanan. Tetapi apabila belalang dalam kumpulan yang banyak, seperti belalang juta, ia boleh menyebabkan kemusnahan tanaman.
(‘The life span of grasshoppers is about 12 months. Studies have found out that the survival rate of nymphs after hatching is about 50 percent, as chances are high that they may be eaten by predators like birds, rodents and lizards. This way, grasshoppers play a major role in the effective functioning of an ecosystem, by providing food for many predators in the food chain. A swarm of grasshoppers, also known as locusts, might cause severe damages to the crops, affecting the crop yield.’)

sumber rujukan : buzzle.com