Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, Romalea microptera (Beauvois) (Orthoptera: Acrididae)

This grasshopper is common in the southeastern United States from North Carolina to eastern Texas, including the entire peninsula of Florida. It is common in many areas of the southeastern USA, and well known to the populace due to its large size and use in biology classrooms for dissection exercises. Unfortunately, the scientific community uses two different scientific names for the same species, and R. microptera is also called R. guttata (Houttuyn). The latter is probably the correct name, but because the former designation was used for many years, this proposed “correction” is introducing unnecessary confusion.

Life History

There is one generation per year, with the egg stage overwintering. These grasshoppers are long-lived, and either nymphs or adults are present throughout most of the year in the southern portions of Florida. In northern Florida and along the Gulf Coast they may be found from March–April to about October–November.

The eggs of lubber grasshoppers are yellowish or...