Romalea microptera
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
Romalea is a genus of grasshoppers native to the Southeastern and South-central United States. As traditionally defined, it contains a single species, Romalea microptera, known commonly as the Georgia thumper, eastern lubber grasshopper, Florida lubber, or Florida lubber grasshopper, although some recent authorities regard Taeniopoda as a junior synonym, in which case there are about a dozen Romalea species in the southern United States, Mexico and Central America.
R. microptera is one of the most distinctive grasshopper species within the Southeastern US, and is well known for its relatively large size and its unique coloration. Romalea is the type genus of the family Romaleidae and tribe Romaleini. It has been suggested that the valid name for Romalea microptera is Romalea guttata. However, microptera has been marked as a nomen protectum by the ICZN, making guttata a synonym.
As traditionally defined, Romalea only contains the species R. microptera, but recent authorities regard Taeniopoda as a synonym, in which case there are about a dozen Romalea species. Romalea and Taeniopoda have generally been separated based on color and pronotum, but more comprehensive morphological... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
Possible
About 30% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper sighting in Orlando on a given day, based on 378 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the most-seen of the 294 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May and June
In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report an Eastern Lubber Grasshopper in Orlando on a given day, against under 5% in February and December, the lowest months. Those are among Orlando's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain a month against 50 mm in November.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eastern Lubber Grasshopper sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Eastern Lubber Grasshopper sightings, Orlando has the highest daily chance: about 30%. Next come Miami (United States, about 10%).
Same order: Orthoptera
The closest relatives of the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper that you can see in Orlando (order Orthoptera, Grasshoppers, Crickets, and Katydids) are Broad-Tipped Conehead (about 10%), Short-Winged Green Grasshopper (about 10%) and Giant Katydid (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper is recorded against all the insects logged in Orlando (378 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
