THH LUBBER GRASSHOPPER. 



135 



accomplish tbis, the abdomen and legs are folded back over the body, 

 aud it is remarkable that the perfect insect retains through life the power 

 of thus rolling itself up into a ball. In the imago stage the two sexes 

 are very dissimilar. The female has clouded wings, the body shows 

 metallic reflections of puii)le, green, and C()pi)er-bronze, and the abdo- 

 men is black, with the lirst joint white. The male is smaller than the 

 lemale, has clear wings, and is uniformly bright metallic green in color. 

 It has not the power of rolling Utself like the female. 



THE LUBBER GRASSHOPPER. 



(Romalea microptera Serv.) 

 (Fig. 54.) 



Fig. 51.— The Lubboi- Grasshopper. (Alter Glover.) 



This huge locu.st has nomadic liabits, and wanders about in search of 

 food, attacking almost all succulent plants. It sometimes does damage 

 to orange trees by feeding upon the leaders and tender shoots, aud is 

 at times sufliciently abundant to become a serious pest. The eggs are 

 laid in the ground and hatch in ^farc^h or April. The young are blaek, 

 with bright yellow markings. For several weeks after leaving the 

 ground they are gregarious, each brood in ils wanderings keeping to- 

 gether and gathering at night in a cluster upon some low herbaceous 

 plant. This habit, with their consi)icuous coloration, rendeis it an easj' 

 matter to find and destroy them at first. Later in the summer they 

 separate and become scattered, and the separate individuals must then 

 be sought for aud desrroyed. 



During its growth the insect several times changes its skin. After 

 the final molt, which takes place in July or August, its api)earauce is 

 entirely changed. The colors of the young are reversed in the adult; 

 yellow becomes the predoininant color, and the body is marked with 

 spots and Ihues of black. The wings are tinged with juiik; they are 

 too short and rudimentary for tiight. The adult insect is nearly 3 



