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.

[2] 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.

[6] Their wild distributions do not overlap, but in captivity R. microptera can produce fertile hybrids at least with T. eques (western horse lubber grasshopper), showing their very close relations.

According to the article “Effects of growth rates on development to metamorphosis in the lubber grasshopper, Romalea microptera” by Virginia Flanagan, she talks about size eclosion.

In the article it says “The first group with short times to eclosion (about 60 days), consisted of individuals receiving high food during the three middle stadia” (Flanagin, p.4, 2000) and it also says “during the second stadium had no effect (HLL vs HHL; Fig.

This is very important because the researchers who conducted this experiment noticed that grasshoppers who received no food during the last stage failed to mold into adulthood.

R. microptera inhabits regions west of North Carolina to Tennessee, in Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas, and throughout Florida, Missouri, and Arizona.

[7] A quantitative analysis of the distribution of tritium labeled DNA among chromosomes during meiosis in Romalea microptera led to the conclusion that most exchanges reflected breakage and reciprocal exchange between (non-sister) homologous chromatids.