EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Flightless Lubber, Do Not Touch!

Eastern Lubber Grasshopper (Romalea microptera), Family Romaleidae
Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, Louisiana USA

Explanation:  Deep in the humid bayou country of southern Louisiana, in the Deep South of the U.S., resides this striking orthopteran ... the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper.  Common throughout the broader suite of southern states, this species is often used in biology classes for dissection and study.  (And yes, we had previously encountered another lubber species in Ecuador, South America.)

This pile of lubbers that I discovered in the swamps of Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve apparently consists of juveniles, as adults eventually transform into a far more colorful appearance, perhaps serving as warning coloration for potential predators.

 
And here lies part of this week's story:  although the species is flightless, and slow-moving, it secretes a noxious, foul-scented liquid when handled ... again, as a deterrent against predators.  Moreover, the hind tibiae (the 4th segment of the leg) have sharp spines can cut through your skin.  Adults can present themselves with alarm displays with wing-spreading, hissing, and spurting their noxious fluids.  

So ... look, but don't touch!

 

 

 
Acknowledgments:
     My thanks to Jim Grace for guiding me to this wonderful southern ecosystem.