302 



ORTHOPTERA 



known, but are widely distributed in the tropics of the Old and 

 New Worlds. Nothing whatever seems to be known of their 

 habits or of their development. 



The tribe Pneumorides includes a still smaller number of species 

 of very aberrant and remarkable grasshoppers, of large size, with 

 short antennae, and with the pronotum prolonged and hood-like ; 

 they are peculiar to South Africa. Although amongst the most 



remarkable of Insects, we are 

 not able to give any infor- 

 mation as to their habits. 

 It would appear from the form 

 of their legs that they have 

 but little power of hopping. 

 The species of which we figure 

 the female (Fig. 182) is very 

 remarkable from the difference 

 in colour of the sexes. The 

 female is so extravagantly col- 

 oured that she has been said 

 to look as if " got up " for a 

 fancy-dress ball. She is of a 

 gay green, with pearly white 

 marks, each of which is sur- 

 rounded by an edging of ma- 

 genta ; the white marks are 

 very numerous, especially on 

 the parts of the body not 

 shown in our figure ; the face 

 has magenta patches and a 

 large number of tiny pearly- 

 white tubercles, each of which, when placed on a green part, is 

 surrounded by a little ring of mauve colour. Though the female 

 is certainly one of the most remarkably coloured of Insects, her 

 consort is of a modest, almost unadorned green colour, and is con- 

 siderably different in form. He is, however, provided with a 

 musical apparatus, which it is possible may be a means of pleas- 

 ing his gorgeous but dumb spouse. It consists of a series of 

 ridges placed on each side of the inflated abdomen, which, as we 

 have previously (p. 200) remarked, has every appearance of being 

 inflated with the result of improving its resonance. 



FIG. 182. Pneumora scutellaris, female. 

 South Africa. 



