Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Explanation of Names
Author of family is Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893. From genus name
Romalea, which is New Latin (Serville, 1831), properly
Rhomalea, from Greek ρωμαλεοσ, strong of body, from ρωμη, bodily strength
(1). English
Lubber means clumsy and stout
(2).
Numbers
Arnett
(3) lists 6 genera and 9 species for North America.
Orthoptera Species File Online lists two
subfamilies: Bactrophorinae (first use as subfamily, Descamps, 1978) and Romaleinae (Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1893).
Identification
No single character except genitalia will apply to all members of the group; however, the following are shared by many or most species:
Most species are large with shortened wings, often brightly marked. Characters
(2):
immovable spine on both the inner and outer surface at the tip of the hind tibia--character unique to this family (or subfamily, under alternate classifications). Rare exceptions to this include Spaniacris deserticola.
two basal lobes of the hind femur approximately the same size--compare Acrididae, where dorsal lobe is larger (
Orthoptera of the Northern Great Plains)
often (
Dracotettix,
Romalea and
Taeniopoda, and most tropical species) with "prosternal spine" between the front legs (charater shared with subfamily
Cyrtacanthacridinae of the
Acrididae)
head typically broadly rounded and face nearly vertical. Dracotettix is an exception with a prominent protrusion between the eyes, and Spaniacris deserticola has a narrow, somewhat angular head.
hind femora generally slender, often smallish and looking rather undersized; except, fat and noticeably enlarged in Brachystola, and not particularly slender in Dracotettix & Phrynotettix.
Forewings often with a course mesh-like appearance due to prominent veins. Sometimes forewings (notably in Brachystola) and often hindwings may be brightly colored; hindwings most often red or bluish and blackish toward tip.
Range
An American, mostly tropical group, several species in southwestern United States, one in Great Plains (
Brachystola magna), and one in southeast (
Romalea microptera).
Remarks
Many species are so distinctive as to be recognizable on sight, but certain southwestern species look remarkably like Band-wing Grasshoppers (Oedipodinae), with often roughened surfaces to parts of the body, sometimes colored wings, and cryptic coloration that blends with their surroundings. Even these species are relatively easy to identify, if one remembers that all colored-winged, and/or cryptic ground mimicing grasshoppers are not in the Oedipodinae.
Most species tend to be less agile on the ground than most other grasshoppers, sometimes downright clumsy, but those that can fly can be quite adept at making an escape.
This "family" is highly diverse, and perhaps not all members are particularly closely related to one another, making generalizations difficult to make. For example the cryptic rock-like species with no prosternal spine share only a little in common with the large smooth almost polished "typical" Lubbers that have a prominent prosternal spine; the two groups being related, but likely only distantly so. It is likely that ongoing molecular studies will result eventually in some rearrangement of the included genera.
See Also
Acrididae - Short-horned Grasshoppers
