1915.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 295 



overlooking characters of real specific value in the exotic series of 



Gi'yllusJ 



Gryllus assimilis (Fabricius), 



1775. [Acheta] assimilis Fabricius, Syst. Ent., p. 280. [Jamaica.] 



1838. Gr[yllus] pentisylvanicus Burmeister, Handb. Ent., II, abth. II, pt. 1, 

 p. 734. [Pennsylvania.] 



1839. Gryllus luduosus Serville, Hist. Nat. Ins., Orth., p. 335. [o", 9 : 

 North America.] 



1839. Gryllus abhreviatus Serville, ihid., p. 336. [ 9 : North America.] 

 1841. Achela nigra Harris, Ins. Inj. Veget., 1st ed., p. 123. [New England.] 

 1854. G'ri/^Zus /w^i'ipennis Blanchard, His-t. Chile, Zool., VI, p. 32. [cf, 9 : 



Valparaiso, Coquimbo, etc., Chile.] 

 18.58. Gryllus lineaticeps Stal, Kongl. Svensk. Freg. Eug. Resa, Zool., I, 



p. 314. [ 9 : >San Francisco, California.] 

 1859. Gr[yUus] aztecus Saussm-e, Rev. Mag. Zool., 2^ ser., XI, p. 316. [ 9 : 



Mexico.] 

 1859. Griyllus] cubensis Saussm'e, ibid., p. 316. [Cuba.] 

 1859. Griyllus] mexicanus Saussure, ibid., p. 316. [Mexico.] 

 1862. G[rylhis] angustus Scudder, Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist., VII, p. 427. [3 9 , 



Cambridge and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.] 

 1862. G[ryllus] neglectus Scudder, ibid., p. 428. [cf, 9 : Massachusetts 



and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.] 

 1864. G[ryllus] personatus Uhler, Proc. Ent. Soc. Phila., II, p. .547. [1 9 : 



Kansas.] 

 1869. Gryllus septenlrionalis Walker, Cat. Dermapt. Saltat. Br. Mus., I, 



p. 18. [cf , 9 : Oajaca, Mexico; west coast of South America; San 



Domingo.] 

 1869. Gryllus luridus Walker, ibid., p. 18. [ 9 : Vera Cruz, Mexico.] 

 1869. Gryllus determinalns Walker, ibid., p. 19. [cf, 9 : Jamaica; St. 



Vincent; San Domingo.] 

 1869. Gryllus parilis Walker, ibid., p. 20. [d^: St. Vincent; Brazil.] 

 1869. Gryllus similaris Walker, ibid., p. 20. [ 9 : San Domingo.] 

 1869. Gryllus augustulus Walker, ibid., p. 21. [d', 9 : Jamaica; St. 



Vincent.] 

 1869. Gryllus contingens Walker, ibid., p. 21. [ 9 : St. Vincent; Brazil.] 

 1869. Gryllus signatipes Walker, ibid., p. 22. [cT : west coast of America.] 

 1869. Gryllus cofuptus Walker, ibid., p. 23. [d^: Constancia, Brazil.] 



of Gryllus in the British ^Museum, Lutz confined himself to biometric observa- 

 tions and failed to recognize the specific units involved. The extremes of ovi- 

 positor length for this series showed a minimum of 5 mm., which is decidedly 

 shorter than ever found in Gryllus assimilis (10.5 to 25.5 mm. in material studied 

 by him, unquestionably referable to assimilis, and in our present series 11.2 to 

 23.2 mm. In most series of the species we find the great majority of specimens 

 to show an ovipositor length measuring between 12.5 and 21.5 mm.). 



^ Lutz also briefly discusses the genus Atlanticus in his paper, where from a few 

 specimens it is assumed that similar variations in length of ovipositor and caudal 

 femora exist, such variations demonstrating, in his opinion, the invalidity of the 

 two species for which the names Atlanticus pachymerus and dorsnlis had been 

 used. This conclusion is without foundation, as he totally overlooked the fact 

 that independent of general bulk these two species are separable by excellent 

 morphological characters. Recent studies based upon examples of Atlanticus 

 show that at least nine distinct specific units exist, each showing some variation, 

 it is true, in the length of the ovipositor and to a lesser degree of the caudal femora, 

 but the forms have excellent genital and other morphological characters, each 

 species being far less plastic than Gryllus assimilis. This would be, in part, the 

 explanation of Lutz's position regarding the Old World forms of Gryllus. A 

 deeper study than biometric measurements of two dimensions in these forms 

 would have shown excellent morphological characters for a number of species. 



