Plains Lubber Grasshopper

bugman

September 6th, 2008 at 12:00 am

Categories

Grasshoppers

NM AZ Road Trip Photos: Swarms, Bug Lust &
More…
Howdy!
On our way to visit friends in AZ crossing far western New
Mexico we encountered a "swarm" of what I presume
had to be some sort of locust? These large (up to 3"
long) "grasshoppers" covered the roads and wild
fields next to the roads. It was sad because the insects were
being smashed in massive numbers as they crossed the road.
When we arrived at our friend’s home in Portal, Arizona (located
in the foothills of the Chiricahua Mountains (Apache Country),
we were able to take photos of the grasshopper / locust. They
were very pretty and have rather whimsical faces. Can you
tell us what they are? … Thanks for any info. you can provide.
Feel free to post the photos.
Lori L. Paul
Altadena, CA

Hi Lori,
Though we applaud your enthusiasm, you have submitted far
too many photos of different species for one letter, so we
have taken the liberty of editing your letter and dealing
with the first species. This is a Plains Lubber Grasshopper, Brachystola magna.
We are getting reports of numerous sightings in the Southwest
right now and your excellent photos should help our readership
identify them. If time permits, we will try to answer your
other questions. If we do not respond in a few days, please
resend info on just one species and reattach the image.

Update: (09/07/2008) SW Grasshopper Swarm
Hi Daniel,

Sorry about the bug barrage. I had no intention of blasting you out of the bug photo water, just wanted to share our interesting trip images of insects (& one big *ss spider). No need to send any answers back to me, if you don’t have time… just enjoy the pictures with apologies for my inability to identify the subjects. I didn’t think you’d want to post the entire expose!
That said, thanks for identifying the Plains Lubber Grasshopper. The “swarm” we experienced was amazing. For several miles, the rural road became slick with the number of grasshoppers smashed and still trying to crawl across the pavement. It was rather sad and surreal at the same time. They landed on our windshield and were also in all the grass and shrubs by the roadside. We hit a few other, smaller “clouds” of grasshoppers, one on the freeway near Deming, NM. They were mostly swept off the road lanes by cars, but you could see many of their bodies, some moving, in the medians on both side. They did not seem to be going anywhere, just randomly crawling, unlike some “swarms” of insects that move in a general direction. It was wild.
Thanks for your info!
Lori

Edibility Update: (09/07/2008) Lubbers Are Edible!
Hi Daniel,
Long time no write, hope that things are good with you both. Lubbers are a funny case: quite a few insectivorous animals will avoid them, having learned through experience that lubbers are, shall we say, problematic. David George Gordon, the best-known entomophagy guy on the West Coast, has served them for many years, despite the concerns of some. I’ve eaten them and served them — not the western species but in fact the one found in Florida, which is particularly known for its defensive display including noxious chemistry. It’s one of the numerous mysteries around entomophagy. Best,
Dave
www.slshrimp.com

Thanks Dave,
We just received a letter from a woman in Florida complaining that nothing would eat the Lubbers in her yard. We would love to pass on your information, but sadly, we cannot locate the letter.