428 Annals of the South African Museum. 



Nothing is known of the egg-laying. The great length of the ovi- 

 positor in Hetrodes would seem to indicate that the eggs are deposited 

 at a fair depth in the soil, or on roots. In the other genera this ovi- 

 positor is very short, and the eggs, if laid in the ground, could only be 

 left at the surface, for the obese abdomen would not allow of the 

 telescopic elongation of that of an Acridid, which by this means readies 

 a depth of one to one and a half inches. It is, therefore, probable that, 

 as in most Locustinae, the eggs are laid at the collar of roots or stems. 

 The number of eggs in gravid females is from ten to fourteen ; their 

 length is 7 mm., the thickness H mm., and they are slightly bent 

 (Acanthoproctus cervinus) or smaller (Hetrodes pupus). 



The distribution in South Africa is now well known. The species 

 of Hetrodes range from Seymour in the eastern part of the Cape to 

 Namaqualand in the west, but keeping to localities along the sea- 

 board where winter rains occur. The genus is not recorded from 

 Natal, the Transvaal, or Rhodesia. Acanthoplus is found in Rhodesia, 

 the Transvaal, Bechuanalaud, and the Kalahari, as well as the sandy 

 sea-board of Damaraland. Enyaliopsis inhabits Mozambique, the 

 North-eastern Transvaal, Southern and Northern Rhodesia, but 110 

 species has been found in the Kalahari or West Coastal region. 

 Hemihetrodes occurs only in Namaqualand and its confines. Acantho- 

 proctus is restricted to the Cape Karroo and the northern parts of the 

 Cape Colony, from Worcester to Bechuanaland. Aphractia is to be 

 found only on the rare vegetation of sand dunes or their neighbourhood, 

 extending on the West Coast from Angra Pequena to the Great Fish 

 River, and perhaps beyond. 



There is not much reason to believe that the number of the species 

 will be materially increased. Some were separated, in spite of their 

 strong specific resemblance, on characters drawn from the greater or 

 lesser number of spines on the legs. These characters are, however, 

 unreliable, as I have endeavoured to show in dealing with these species. 

 Certain kinds are more plastic than others. 



GEN. HETRODES, Fisch. 

 Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr. ii, 1833, p. 318. 



This genus, founded on along-known Linnean species, the synonymy 

 of which is very intricate, includes a Syrian and Egyptian species, 

 another from the Congo, and two, the locality of which is unknown. 

 Walker added to H. pupus, Linn., two South African species, H. 

 abbreviatiis and H. marcjinatus. 



Kirby, himself a maker of species on very slender grounds, admits 



