Brachystola magna
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Orthoptera
Suborder: Caelifera
Family: Romaleidae
Genus: Brachystola
Species:
B. magna
Binomial name
Brachystola magna
(Girard, 1854)[1]

Brachystola magna, the plains lubber grasshopper, western lubber grasshopper or homesteader, is a large species of grasshopper in the family Romaleidae, native to open and semi-open habitats of central and southern United States and northern Mexico.[2][3][4]

Adults are typically 4–6 cm (1.6–2.4 in) long, with females growing larger than males.[3][4] It is reddish brown with black dots on its outer wings, however there is some variation in coloration, with more northern variants tending to be greener, and southern ones more brownish-buff. Brachystola magna has extremely small wings and is unable to fly.[5] The antennae are bluish-brown and the legs are reddish near the body with purple tarsi. It has a ridge along the upper and middle region of the abdomen. It is distinguished from Brachystola virescens by its longer antennae and color.[1]

In Wyoming it is found on gravelly ground in the southwest of the state. It does not cause significant damage to crops, and seems to prefer coarse broadleaved plants to crops. It overwinters in the egg, which hatch in the spring and reach adulthood in August.[6]

Walter Sutton's description of reduction division was based on studying the spermatocytes of Brachystola magna. This work was critical in the development of the chromosome theory of inheritance.[7]

References

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  1. 1 2 Girard, Charles (1854). "Appendix F". In Randolf Marcy (ed.). Exploration of The Red River of Louisiana in the Year 1852. Washington: A.O.P Nicholson. p. 231. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  2. ↑ "species Brachystola magna (Girard, 1854): Orthoptera Species File". Orthoptera Species File (Version 5.0/5.0).
  3. 1 2 "Species Brachystola magna - Plains Lubber Grasshopper". BugGuide. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  4. 1 2 "Brachystola magna (Girard)". University of Wyoming. Retrieved 16 August 2023.
  5. ↑ Joern, Anthony. Importance of Behavior and Coloration in the Control of Body Temperature by Brachystola Magna Girad. The School of Life Sciences, The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska 68588, USA, March 1981. Retrieved on 17 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "Western Lubber Grasshopper". Grasshoppers of Wyoming and the West. Archived from the original on 16 August 2013. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  7. ↑ Endersby, Jim (2007). A Guinea Pig's History of Biology. Harvard University Press. p. 180. ISBN 9780674027138.
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