lubber grasshopper

insect

Also known as: Dictyophorus reticulatus

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

Lubber grasshoppers are very large, stout, and clumsy North American insects with short wings. There are two main types: Romalea microptera, found in the southeastern U.S., and Brachystola magna, found in the southwestern U.S. and adjacent Mexico. These are part of the short-horned grasshopper family (Acrididae), which includes over 10,000 species of insects and is the largest group of grasshoppers. Lubber grasshoppers, like other short-horned grasshoppers, are herbivorous.12

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short-horned grasshopper
Major genera and species
In North America the eastern lubber grasshopper (Romalea microptera) is 5–7 cm long and has large red wings bordered in black. The western lubber grasshopper (Brachystola magna), also called the buffalo grasshopper because of its size, has much smaller, pinkish wings. The slender grasshopper (Leptysma marginicollis), found in the southern…
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In North America the eastern lubber grasshopper (Romalea microptera) is 5–7 cm long and has large red wings bordered in black. The western lubber grasshopper (Brachystola magna), also called the buffalo grasshopper because of its size, has much smaller, pinkish wings. The slender grasshopper (Leptysma marginicollis), found in the southern…
Read More