SUBFAMILY I. TRYXALIXJE. 239 



with the prominent intercalary vein provided with a rasp for strid- 

 ulatiug; prosternuiu usually with an obtuse tubercle between the 

 front femora ; hind femora rather long and slender, exceeding the 

 abdomen, male, reaching base of ovipositor, female, their lower 

 face usually coral red ; subgenital plate of male acutely produced, 

 being at least twice as long as its greatest width; valves of ovi- 

 positor strongly exserted, the upper pair with minute teeth along 

 their upper margin. The three known American species, all de- 

 scribed by Scudder, occur in the Eastern United States. 



KEY TO EASTERN SPECIES OF MECOSTETHUS. 



a. Median carina of pronotum cut in front of middle, the prozona 

 shorter than the metazona (Fig. 83, f); lateral carinse distinctly di- 

 verging on metazona. 



1). Tegmina with a pale submarginal stripe two-thirds their length 

 along the costal area; intercalary vein of male with low, dull 

 teeth; lateral carinse cut by all three sulci in front of middle. 



103. LIXEATUS. 



bb. Tegmina without pale stripe; intercalary vein of male with 



longer sharp, minute, closely-set teeth; lateral carinse cut only 



by first and third sulci. 104. GRACILIS. 



aa. Median carina of pronotum cut in the middle, the pro- and meta-zona 



subequal in length (Fig. 83, e);lateral carinse subparallel, scarcely 



diverging behind, cut at middle only by third sulcus; costal area of 



tegmina without pale stripe. 105. PLATYPTERUS. 



103. MECOSTETHUS LINEATUS (Scudder), 1862, 462. Striped Sedge Locust. 

 Rather robust, strongly compressed. General color dark purplish - 

 brown; head with a narrow yellowish line extending from upper border of 

 each eye back along the lateral carina of pronotum, this bordered below by 

 an indistinct dark band along the upper half of lateral lobe; wings dusky, 

 the basal half with a yellowish tinge; hind femora with outer face yellow- 

 ish or reddish brown, darker above, lower face either yellowish or bright 

 coral red. Knees black; hind tibiae yellowish, annulate with paler near 

 base, the spines black; females usually much darker than males, with yel- 

 low line on head and tegmina often obscure. Vertex wide, triangular, its 

 apex subtruncate and rounded into frontal costa, foveolse distinct. Pro- 

 notum strongly rugose, with lateral carinse low, subparallel on prozona, 

 distinctly diverging on metazona. Tegmina longer and narrower propor- 

 tionally than in the other species. Hind femora slender, reaching or 

 slightly passing tip of abdomen, female, surpassing it 2 3 mm., male. 

 Length of body, $, 2327, 9, 3438; of antennae, $, 1112, 9, 1011.5; 

 of tegmina, $, 2126.5, 9, 2G 31.5; of hind femora, $, 14.518, 9, 

 1821 mm. 



This large and handsome Tryxalid occurs in isolated areas in 

 the northern half of Indiana, where it is found only in low, boggy 

 meadows, being more abundant in those bordering lakes or tama- 

 rack swamps. The males seem to far outnumber the females, and 



