Species of the Lubber Grasshoppers

Eastern

• The species microptera, or eastern lubber grasshopper, belongs to the genus Romalea. Until 2009 the eastern lubber was considered to be the only species of the genus. A new species was discovered in Louisiana and Florida and named microsporidia, according to an article in "The Journal of Parasitology." The eastern lubber and its new species are the only species of lubber grasshoppers found in the eastern Untied States. The eastern lubber displays vivid colors of yellow and red. They can be found in croplands, fields, woods and moist areas.

Horse

• Horse lubber grasshoppers belong to the species eques of the genus Taeniopoda. In the United States they inhabit the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas with their range continuing through Mexico to Costa Rica. The bright lines on the side of their head resemble a horse's head with a bridle thus explaining their name eques which is Latin for horse. They feed on shrubs and weeds in mostly desert areas.

Plains

• Plains lubber grasshoppers comprise the species magna of the genus Brachystola. They are a colorful grasshopper that can be found from North Dakota, Montana and Minnesota south into Mexico. They live mostly in grasslands and scrublands. Favorite food includes sunflowers and ragweed. This species does provide some measure of weed control through its feeding habits but has been known to enter gardens in Iowa and cotton fields in Texas and Oklahoma, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a result it is considered to be an occasional pest of cotton.

Genus

• Four other genera comprise the remainder of the lubber family: Dracotettix, Phrynotettix, Spaniacris and Tytthotyle. The one species in the genus Dracotettix is the dragon lubber, or monstrosus. The Phrynotettix genus has two species: robust, or robustus, and chihuahua, or tshivavensis. Spaniacris deserticola, or desert, is another species. The last species is the furnace heat lubber, or Tytthotyle maculata.