Location: Arizona
August 14, 2011
Daniel,
Thank you sooo much for your reply. I did look on the BugGuide but being a novice at bugs did not find it. However, I still feel like spraying the air.
I did not see a picture of a HorseLubber Grasshopper anywhere, so I thought you might appreciate this. Use it or not as you see fit.
Thanks again.
K.
Horse Lubber
Hi again K,
WE are happy we could assist with the Kissing Bug ID. We do have images of Horse Lubber Grasshoppers, however, we haven’t received a new image in several years and the reports we have are buried in our archives, but our search engine brings them up quickly.
¶ Posted 14 August 2011 § ‡ ° Grasshopper?
Location: 38.855751,-77.363756 (Northern VA)
August 9, 2011 8:53 pm
This giant bug landed on my hand today (giant = approx the size of a finger). It decided to hang out in my third floor balcony garden for awhile, so I took some pictures. What kind of bug is this?
Signature: -Heather
Differential Grasshopper
Hi Heather,
We were having a difficult time finding a matching image for your Grasshopper in the Short Horned Grasshopper family Acrididae on BugGuide, and we finally located a matching image that was not identified on the Discover Life website, until we realized that the abbreviation “diffhopper” probably referred to the Differential Grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis. We then confirmed that identification on Bugguide where it is described as: “Forewings, pronotum uniform, without distinctive marks. Black herringbone markings on outer face of hind femora. Yellow hind tibiae.” Your individual has those characteristics.
¶ Posted 09 August 2011 § ‡ ° Unidentified Grasshopper from the Arabian Desert
Location: Ras Al Khaimah, UAE
July 31, 2011 3:20 am
Hi WTB team:
I found this large ?grasshopper in a remote desert area of Ras Al Khaimah in the UAE last Friday. Could this be ?Acrida bicolor?. I would appreciate your help in id’ing this well-camouflaged creature (it was almost invincible on the dune sand). Many thanks, Ajmal
Signature: Ajmal
Acrida bicolor
Hello Ajmal,
In our opinion, despite some differences which we will note, we believe you have found an immature Acrica bicolor, which according to the TrekNature website, is also called a Long Headed Grasshopper. The first difference we would like to note is the lack of fully developed wings, which probably indicates this is an immature specimen, especially if the size is compared to the photo of the green individual published on this Live Journal website. Our second observed difference is the shape of the antennae, but since they are jointed, it stands to reason that they are mobile and can change their orientation. We don’t feel either of those differences disqualifies your Grasshopper from being identified as Acrida bicolor. Allow us to make one minor correction to the information you provided. Though we are quite certain that surviving in the desert would qualify a creature as being invincible, we believe that in context with your statement about the Grasshopper being “well-camouflaged” the adjective you meant to use is most likely invisible.
Acrida bicolor
Dear Daniel,
Thanks much for your feedback, much appreciated.
Regards,
Ajmal Hasan
¶ Posted 31 July 2011 § ‡ ° Southeastern Lubber Love?
Location: rural Tennessee, edge of the Cumberland Plateau
June 26, 2011 3:41 pm
It’s been an active bug spring here on the Eastern Cumberland Plateau, and your website is my first resource for identifications. I saw these more colorful grasshoppers and haven’t quite matched them to previous posts, but think they must be Southeastern Lubbers. They are about 1 or 1-1/2 inch half long (female). Thanks for your tireless work for all us bug-watchers!
Signature: Bob Kieffer
Mating Post Oak Grasshoppers
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the compliment. After considerable research, we believe we have correctly identified your short winged mating Grasshoppers as Post Oak Grasshoppers, Dendrotettix quercus, based on images posted to BugGuide. The Insect Physiology & Behavior Research Group website has a very comprehensive page devoted to Post Oak Grasshoppers, and it indicates that when they are especially numerous, they can defoliate oak trees. You might want to notify the group of your sighting.
Post Oak Grasshopper
Hi Daniel,
Thanks for you research. I did contact the Insect Physiology group as you suggested, and they have confirmed the identification. They also were appreciative of the information on our sighting. Keep up the great work!
Bob
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¶ Posted 27 June 2011 § ‡ ° Tagged: bug love grasshopper?
Location: San Luis Obispo County, California
June 26, 2011 6:42 pm
I was hiking with some friends in Montana de Oro State Park here in California along the Central Coast when one of us spotted this grasshopper! We can’t find it online anywhere.
Signature: Howdy
Dragon Lubber Grasshopper
Hi Howdy,
We believe this is a Dragon Lubber Grasshopper in the genus Dracotettix, however, its coloration does not match any photos posted to BugGuide. All of the images on bugGuide are of the species Dracotettix monstrosus, and two other species are mentioned that are found in California, however they are not pictured. We suspect this is either an unusual color variation or a different species in the genus. We will check with Eric Eaton to get his opinion.
Dragon Lubber Grasshopper
It certainly does appear to be similar to the Dragon Lubber. I checked on BugGuide and did find two other species of Dracotettix, like you mentioned, but the pictures were included. There certainly are three color variations: http://bugguide.net/node/view/163571/bgimage None of them match the one I sent. The three of us who were hiking together are very anticipatory on information. What you provided was greatly appreciated and made us hopeful. We would be very excited if it is indeed a new species! It certainly does seem that it would fall under the Dracotettix genus if it is a new species. We are still very thankful for your time even if it has already been discovered.
¶ Posted 27 June 2011 § ‡ ° what is this?
Location: Plantersville, TX
June 26, 2011 9:18 pm
I found these ”grasshoppers” on a sidewalk in Plantersville, TX over the weekend. The hind end was wide, not very grasshopper-y. I was wondering if it was just a different kind of grasshopper or what.
Signature: Jana Doss
Mating Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers
Hi Jana,
These are mating, flightless Eastern Lubber Grasshoppers, Romalea microptera. They have both a light and a dark form and this is the light form. We just posted a photo of the dark form that emerged from a watermelon shipment in New Jersey, many hundreds of miles north of its typical range. Texas is the furthest west the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper is found.
3
¶ Posted 27 June 2011 § ‡ ° Tagged: bug love Walmart Watermelon Bug
Location: Found in NJ
June 24, 2011 10:11 pm
Good evening. A friend who works at a local Walmart was unpacking watermelons and came across this bug. To me it looks like a grasshopper of some sort and then again it doesn’t can you tell us what it is and if it is a danger.
Thanks
Signature: Ellen
Eastern Lubber Grasshopper
Dear Ellen,
This is an immature Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, Romalea microptera. There are two recognized common color variations and this is the dark morph. There is a very thorough information page on BugGuide. According to BugGuide, the species is found in the south from Texas to South Carolina and all states between. It would be interesting to learn where the watermelons originated. Though this is a native species to the U.S., it does not range to New Jersey, and since its method of entry was unnatural in that it was the result of the transportation of crops, this could not be considered a normal range expansion. We doubt this individual will reproduce since it is too young to have mated, and it is not likely to find a mate in New Jersey unless it is another stowaway. We will nonetheless tag this as an Invasive Exotic.
Daniel,
Thanks so much for the quick response. It reminded me of a grasshopper I had seen in the everglades several years ago although the one in Florida was much brighter in color. As you can imagine this guy gave the young lady quite a jolt as she was unpacking the melons.
Ellen
brilliant grasshopper
Location: Amani Nature Reserve, Northeast Tanzania
May 18, 2011 3:25 am
The local Swahili name is Ongeda (n-gay-duh), but I have no idea what its scientific name is. Apparently they are occasionally eaten.
Signature: Phil
Elegant Grasshopper
Dear Phil,
Our first impulse was to pose the possibility that this might be a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae. We are especially interested in your statement that they are consumed, which is contradictory to what we would expect. We haven’t the time to more thoroughly research this at the moment, but perhaps one of our readers will be able to locate a matching image on a credible website. We love finding beautiful photographs on FlickR, however, any identifications posted there require additional research.
Karl identifies Elegant Grasshopper
Hi Daniel and Phil:
It is indeed a Toxic Milkweed Grasshopper (also Foam Grasshopper) in the family Pyrgomorphidae. I am fairly certain that it is an Elegant Grasshopper (Zonocerus elegans), a short-winged and flightless grasshopper found throughout much of Africa south of the Sahara. They are sometimes also referred to as Rainbow Locusts. They are apparently slow and clumsy, relying primarily on their accumulated toxins for protection from predators. The toxins make them taste bad, although apparently not bad enough to make them inedible for humans. I found numerous references suggesting they are eaten in various parts of Africa. Regards. Karl
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