Scientific Classification

Common Name

Southeastern lubber

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Orthoptera

Family

Romaleidae

Genus Species

Romalea microptera

Fast Facts

Description

Colorful with varying patterns. Mostly yellow with black markings on distal portion of antennae, pronotum and abdominal segments. Forewings are pinkish; hind wings rose colored. Forewings extend 2/3 to 3/4 of abdomen; hind wings short and not used for flight. Black form of this species is found in northern Florida region of distribution.

Size

Up to maximum of 90 mm (3.54 in.)
Males: 43 to 45 mm (1.69 to 1.77 in.)
Females: 50 to 70 mm (1.97 to 2.75 in.)

Weight

No data

Diet

At least 100 species from 38 plant families

Gestation

6 to 8 month gestation

Clutch Size

30 to 50 eggs in 3 to 5 clusters called pods

Eggs

Measure 9.5 mm (0.37 in.) in length, 2.5 mm (0.10 in.) in width

Nymphs

Almost completely black with yellow, orange, or red dorsal stripe

Life Span

Long-lived; found throughout most of the year from March to November

Range

Limited to southeastern United States from North Carolina to Florida and west through central Texas

Habitat

low, wet areas in pastures, woods, and ditches

Population

Global: Unknown

Status 

IUCN: Not listed
CITES: Not listed
USFWS:Not listed

Fun Facts

Over 23,000 species of grasshoppers live around the world. Southeastern lubbers are found in gardens and fields in the southeastern United States, where they feed on plants. Although farmers consider them pests, these insects are an important food source for other animals, and their feeding stimulates growth in many grasses. Lubbers produce sounds by rubbing their wings together or by blowing air out of their breathing tubes. The sounds are used by males to establish territories or attract females. Members of this species have eardrums on their abdomens

Because of its large size, this grasshopper species is not able to fly or hop well, instead it is most frequently observed walking and frequently climbing

Lubbers have few predators due to the toxic secretions that cause gagging and regurgitation. The loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) catches and impales this grasshopper on thorns and barbed wire fence, leaving them there for 1 to 2 days while the toxin degrades and the grasshopper becomes edible.

Ecology and Conservation

This species can be found in numbers large enough to cause serious damage to citrus, vegetable crops and landscape ornamentals. 

Bibliography

http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/lubber.htm