37-1 FAMILY VI. ACRIDID.E. THE LOCUSTS. 



into a prominent apical tubercle (Fig. 129, d. ) ; vertex in both sexes 

 strongly protuberant in front of eyes. 170. DECORATUS. 



Fig. 129. a, Outline of M. nubilus X 2 '< b, cercus of male of M. tribulus; c, same of 

 M. devius X l &> d, end of abdomen of male of M. decoratus X 6. (After R. & H. and 

 Morse.) 



165. MELANOPLUS OBOVATIPENNIS (Blatchley), 1894, 241. Obovate-winged 

 Locust. 



Male below the medium in size for the genus, female much larger and 

 more robust. Above dull grayish-brown or tan, with the dark fuscous- 

 postocular stripe as described above, this bordered below by an ivory-white 

 band extending back from cheek, covering the lower half of lateral lobe, 

 then curving down between the front and middle coxae; metapleura ivory 

 white. Below dirty yellowish-brown with lower face of femora orange- 

 yellow. Hind femora with two indistinct blackish bars on upper and 

 outer faces; knees black. Hind tibiae olive-green, annulate with whitish 

 near base. Abdomen tinged with fuscous, rarely with dark blotches on 

 sides of one or two basal segments. Antennae with basal half reddish- 

 brown, apical half fuscous. Interocular space nearly twice, male, or more 

 than twice, female, the width of basal joint of antennae; fastigium strongly 

 declivent, narrowly and shallowly sulcate, male, broadly depressed with 

 distinct raised margins, female. Frontal costa about the width of inter- 

 ocular space, distinctly sulcate, male, slightly depressed about the ocellus, 

 female. Pronotum rather long, faintly, male, distinctly, female, widening 

 on metazona; hind margin truncate in female, a little rounded in male; 

 prozona nearly twice as long as the densely punctate metazona. Tegmina 

 about two-thirds the length of pronotum, obovate or broadly ovate in out 

 line, a little longer than their greatest width, their inner edges widely 

 separated, female, less widely but never attingent, male. Wings repre- 

 sented by a slender oblong scale. Supra-anal plate elongate-triangular, its 

 apex rather blunt, margins and median basal ridges very low, the former 

 but slightly recurved, the latter enclosing a narrow and shallow sulcus, 

 which ends slightly beyond the middle of plate. Furcula consisting of a 

 pair of tapering, cylindrical, diverging processes about one-third the length 

 of supra-anal plate. Cerci rather slender, feebly incurved, middle third 

 but little more than half the width of base, apical third again somewhat 

 widened and slightly excavated on outer face, the apex subtruncate. Sub- 

 genital plate almost as broad as long, the apical margin not elevated. 

 Length of body, $, 1516, 9, 2429; of antennae, $ , 10, 9, 9.5 10.2; 

 of pronotum, $ , 4.5, 9 6; of tegmina, $, 3 3.5, 9, 4 4.3; of hind fe- 

 mora, $ , 10, 9, 12.513.2 mm. (FJg. 130.) 



This olive-brown, short-winded locust probably occurs through- 

 out the southern two-Ill irds of Indiana, but has not been taken 



