Romalea microptera (Beauvois) Rehn, J.A.G. & Hebard, 1912

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
Southeastern Lubber Grasshopper
Lubber

Synonym(s): Romalea guttata

Florida native

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These large and colorful grasshoppers can be found throughout nearly all of Florida and Georgia. The range extends through the southeastern coastal plain from eastern Texas into central North Carolina. Favored habitats include open pine woods, weedy fields and roadsides as well as coastal areas and salt marshes.
The eggs typically hatch in late February in south Florida and mid-March in other parts of the state. After hatching, masses of young lubbers will climb to the highest point on nearby foliage (see photos). Immatures are black with yellow stripes and red legs. Adults are mostly yellow with black and red markings. These grasshoppers have small wings that are only marginally useful for mobility. Adults are most numerous in July and August when the females lay eggs in the soil to hatch the next year. Romalea microptera are toxic and can emit a foul-smelling secretion as a defensive mechanism, allowing them to be slow moving and leading to the common name of lubber, which means a lazy or clumsy person. The specific name microptera is derived from the Greek words for small (micro) and wing (pteron). The genus name is probably derived from the Greek word meaning string bodied.
The daily movements of lubber grasshoppers, from high perches on vegetation, down to the ground, and back up again, help the insects regulate their body temperature, as can be seen in Ascent of the Lubbers.
More information on lubbers can be found at Featured Creatures.

Romalea microptera is a member of the Romaleidae - Lubber grasshoppers family.

iNaturalist profile for this species

For more information on this species, visit the following link:
Bugguide.net info page for this species

Date record last modified: Jul 12, 2023