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.

Lots on highway near big bend texas (UNCLASSIFIED)
SIR,
what are these bugs

Thanks for letting us know that the Horse Lubber Grasshoppers, Taeniopoda eques, are making their annual appearance in the arid portions of the American Southwest.

Help
Hello,
I have a photo of a type of grass hopper and was wondering is it native to Western Australia and if it is what’s the grass hoppers name?
Nyssa Henderson

Hi Nyssa,
We couldn’t locate your Grasshopper on Geocities, but we thought it resembled the Pyrgomorphidae species we have identified in South Africa. That was a good hunch as this turns out to be a Blistered Grasshopper, Monistria pustulifera, also known as the Inland Painted Grasshopper. The Australian Insect Website states: “The blistered grasshopper (or pyrgomorph) belongs to the family Pyrgomorphidae. This family has some of the smallest and some of the largest grasshoppers in Australia. The pustulifera species can grow up to 65mm in length. This short horned grasshopper has a mottled body, with orange-yellow spots all over.” South African Pyrgomorphs are toxic because they feed on milkweed. The same may be true of the Blistered Grasshopper. Thanks for adding a new Australian species to our site. It is rare for us to get Australian submissions during Northern Hemisphere summer, or perhaps the shear volume of American submissions at that time causes us to overlook letters from down under.

Looking at your photos of grasshoppers mating it struck me that our grasshoppers living on our Hibiscus here in Hilton Head Island, SC, mate in a different way. Not to be indelicate but they are rear to rear and during dinner parties on the deck they make for interesting after- dinner conversations. I’m not certain what kind of grasshoppers these are but we actually look forward to their arrival in the summer, and yes, they love to dine on new Hibiscus blooms but they have to eat too! Thanks for a wonderful site. I’ve sent many new viewers your way.
Patti Trobaugh

Hi Patti,
Your mating grasshoppers are Obscure Bird Grasshoppers, Schistocerca obscura. We found a photo on BugGuide of a mating pair in Florida that have assumed the position depicted in your photo. We believe Grasshoppers begin mating “piggy back” and then over time change position.

cricket?
We photographed these insects in Florida. IMG 0891 at Highlands Hammock State Park near Sebring on Feb. 26, 2008. Some kind of cricket? IMG 0054 at Lake Louisa State Park in Central Florida on March 6, 2008. Our field guides do not help identify them. Can you?
Diane and Ron

Hi Diane and Ron,
Your photo depicts the dark form of the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, Romalea microptera.

Yet another gaudy grasshopper
Hi,
How do you like this one ? I spotted it March 22nd 2008 in the Tala reserve near Durban, South Africa on a thistle flower not far from a large pond. I have no idea what the exact species is, but I’m sure its name should contain ’splendissimus’ Regards,
Patrick Lemli

Hi Patrick,
We have correctly identified your Gaudy Grasshopper as the Elegant Grasshopper, Zonocerus elegans, a Bushlocust, based on the content from a marvelous South African Orthoptera website. Once we had a name, we were able to locate other very nice images online.

Bug Love (Grasshoppers, Moriarity, NM)
Hello,
Attached is an image of a couple of amorous grasshoppers taken early October of 2007 near the town of Moriarity, NM; 40 miles east of Albuquerque. I am assuming the larger one is the female. She is almost as large as the index finger of a working man’s hand. The male had, what appeared to be, a defense behavior of springing its legs backwards if I got too close for its comfort. The broadside image was somewhat difficult to take because the female would rotate about the wire she was hanging on as I tried to position the camera; always positioning her belly toward the camera lens. I particularly like the bright red, yellow and black coloring of the male’s spiny legs; not to mention the vivid greens of their bodies. These bugs were everywhere and I can only guess they provided a substantial protein source to their natural predators for weathering the coming winter. Hope y’all enjoy. Regards,
Dan

Hi Dan,
The grasshoppers in your wonderful photo are Green Bird Grasshoppers, Schistocerca shoshone, also known as the Green Valley Grasshopper. According to BugGuide, they are found in “streamside (riparian) and desert habitats; also frequently found in cornfields or other tall growing vegetation.”

Can you identify this for me?
Hi
Please could you identify this grasshopper for me (JPEG attached). I photographed this in the Kruger, South Africa last November. Thanks
Nigel

Hi Nigel,
This is a Gaudy Grasshopper in the family Pyrgomorphidae. According to a site we found online: “Pyrgomorphids are usually very colourful grasshoppers, the bright colours warning predators that they are poisonous (called aposematic colouration).” They are sometimes called Milkweed Grasshoppers. It will take someone more qualified than we to properly identify the exact species.