Brachystola magna

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Brachystola magna
Brachystola Magna.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
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]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mormon cricket</span> Species of cricket-like animal

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Dactylotum bicolor, also known as the rainbow grasshopper, painted grasshopper, or the barber pole grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the family Acrididae. It is native to the United States, Canada and northern Mexico and exhibits aposematism. It was first described by the German entomologist Toussaint de Charpentier in 1843.

<i>Tylopsis lilifolia</i> Species of cricket-like animal

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Taeniopoda eques, the western horse lubber grasshopper, is a relatively large grasshopper species of the family Romaleidae found in arid and semi-arid parts of southwestern United States to central and southwestern Mexico. Most populations are identifiable by their shiny black bodies with contrasting yellow markings, but some adults are mostly yellowish, orangish or greenish. The species is unique in using its black coloration to thermoregulate and in being chemically defended. The aposematic coloration warns vertebrate predators of its unpalatability and allows the grasshopper to roost conspicuously upon shrubs.

<i>Yersinella raymondii</i> Species of cricket-like animal

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<i>Schistocerca americana</i> Species of grasshopper

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<i>Atractomorpha crenulata</i> Species of grasshopper

Atractomorpha crenulata, commonly known as the tobacco grasshopper, is a species of grasshopper in the subfamily Pyrgomorphinae, found in Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romaleinae</span> Subfamily of grasshoppers

Romaleinae is a subfamily of lubber grasshoppers in the family Romaleidae, found in North and South America. More than 60 genera and 260 described species are placed in the Romaleinae.

<i>Taeniopoda</i> Genus of grasshoppers

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<i>Brachystola</i> Genus of grasshoppers

Brachystola is a genus of grassland lubber grasshoppers in the family Romaleidae, found in the United States and Mexico. They are among the largest grasshoppers found in North America. The species Brachystola magna has meiotic chromosomes that are relatively large and easily visible, and was used in early genetic studies.

References

  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.