Eastern lubber (grasshopper)

http://bugguide.net/node/view/8811

 Lubber Romalea microptera

The  eastern lubber belongs to the 

Acrididae family.

The eastern lubber is known for its colouration and size. The wings are aid in movement (jumping) but they cant not fly, they are relatively small compared to the body. The eastern is known to be slow and lazy. Lubber in old English means clumsy/lazy. 

They are found in Florida and other south eastern states. The females produce pods (clusters of eggs), the eggs are wrapped together by frothy substance, which lets the babies leave the eggs easier. The nymphs (young lubber) have a difference look than the fully grown adults, they are black all over whereas the adults are brightly coloured, yellow and orange with red stripes down the dorsal. 

The adult are around 8cm in length, the bulk of the body is sturdy and strong and the legs are thin and dainty. The tegmina (front wings) and the hind wings have different colour variation, the front having black dots and the hind having red dots. 

The eastern lubber live all near round, but their numbers drop in the colder months. The male guards the female. They are oviparous. The females dig small hole to hide and deposit the eggs with the frothy substance over the top. The eggs develop all through winter and hatch in the spring. The females produce young once a year around February and March. The young molt as they get older, shedding their juvenile skin for the adult skin, there is usually five different instars (stages) before the young as fully grown. 

The best environment for the grasshoppers are dry open woods and fields containing weeds and flowers. The grasshoppers like to feed on vegetation, flowers and fruits.

Aos.org, (2015). [online] Available at: https://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=129 [Accessed 15 Apr. 2015].

Www2.stetson.edu, (2015). Lubber grasshoppers. [online] Available at: http://www2.stetson.edu/~pmay/woodruff/lubbers.htm [Accessed 15 Apr. 2015].