720 



FAMILY VIII. GRYLLIDvE. THE CRICKETS. 



tibia and tarsi black; abdomen black beneath, yellowish-green above. 



Antenna longer than in any other species, 

 often two and a half times the length of 

 body, either wholly black or with two black 

 marks on each of the two basal segments; 

 the inner mark on the first one twice the 

 length of the other, the two often merged 

 above. Tegmina slightly narrower than 

 those of niveus. Wings equalling or slight- 

 ly surpassing the tegmina. Apical spurs of 

 hind tibiae stronger and more acute than 



a b 



Fig. 242. Oecanthus nigricornis Walker, a, male; b, female. 



in allied species. Ovipositor with apical third slightly but distinctly 

 upcurved. Length of body, $ and $, 12 14; of pronotum, 3; of tegmina, 

 1012; of inner wings, 12.5 13.2; of hind femora, 9.210; of ovipositor, 

 5.7 mm. Width of tegmina, $, 4.5 5 mm. (Fig. 242.) 



This is the O. fasciatus Fitch of most American authors, my- 

 self (1903, 450) included. Fitch having wrongly identified De- 

 Geer's Nciitobius fasciatus as the present insect. The next older 

 name has therefore been given it in recent 3 r ears. Scudder 

 (1862, 431) was very caustic in his remarks about Fitch's misiden- 

 tification, but himself on the next page wrongly made Fitch's 

 fasciatus a synonym of 0. niveus and later in both his catalogues 

 used 0. fasciatus as the name of the cricket. 



This striped tree cricket is the most common Oecanthus in 

 Indiana. In August and September, nearly every stalk of golden- 

 rod and Avild sunflower along roadsides, in open fields or in fence 

 corners, will have from one to a half dozen of these insects upon 

 its flowers or branches. It is also especially abundant upon the 

 tall weeds and bushes along the borders of lakes and ponds, and 

 iii sloughs and damp ravines. 



The note of fasciatus is a shrill continuous whi-r-r-r-r which is 

 kept up for several minutes with the intervals of irregular length. 

 It is continued for most of the night and on cloudy days. When 

 the sun is shining brightly it usually begins about mid-afternoon 

 and continues with but little pause until the dawn of the next 

 day, unless the caller is, in the meantime, successful in wooing 

 with his music one of the opposite sex within reaching distance. 



