1!»16.] NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA. 279 



page of the same work, is a synonym of vicinus, based on minor 

 differences in these characters, which in each of the many series 

 before us show some such slight differentiation. 



This species is a serious pest in portions of the State of Georgia; 

 at Darien, in 1906, the insects destroyed a great portion of the grass 

 on the golf course. 134 



Scapteriscus acletus 135 new species. PI. XIV, figs. 8, 9, 10, 11. 



Closely related to S. mexicanus, 136 differing 137 in the shorter dactyls 

 and spines of the limbs, normally fewer spines of the dorso-internal 

 margins of the caudal tibiae, 138 shorter limbs and much less com- 

 pressed terminal tarsal joints of the caudal tibiae (in this species no 

 wider than the caudal metatarsus, in mexicanus distinctly wider with 

 dorsal portion decidedly compressed). The present species and 

 mexicanus agree, however, in the wide separation of the tibial dactyls, 

 the elongate pronotum and decidedly elongate lateral ocelli, which 

 characters readily distinguish them from S. vicinus, from which 

 species the present insect also differs greatly in color pattern of the 

 pronotum, general coloration in life and narrower terminal tarsal 

 joint of caudal tibiae. 



Considering S. abbreviatus, the remaining species of the genus 

 found within the boundaries of the United States, we find it to be 

 readily distinguishable from vicinus, acletus and mexicanus by the 

 distinctive coloration (which gives the insect a strongly mottled 

 appearance), small round lateral ocelli arid extremely reduced teg- 

 mina and wings. The elongate and widely separated tibial dactyls, 

 and spatula with distal portion of ventral margin briefly chitinous 

 and with disto-ventral angle nearly rectangulate and sharply rounded 

 in abbreviatus, serve further to indicate that in linear arrangement 

 vicinus comes first, followed by didactylus, acletus, mexicanus and 

 abbreviatus. 



134 Noted by Hebard, Ent. News, XX, p. 179, (1909). 



us p rom a = not, and Kfa/rbc = welcome; in allusion to the destructive habits 

 of this insect. 



136 Described by Burmeister, Handb. Entom., II, Abth. II, pt. 1, p. 740, (1838). 

 [Alvafado, Mexico.] 



137 These comparisons are made with an apparently typical female of mexicanus 

 (pi. XIV, figs. 12, 13, 14 and 15) from Durango, Mexico, in the Hebard Collection, 

 (lie measurements (in millimeters) of which are: length of body, 36, of pronotum 



11.4, of tegmen 19.2, of wing 26.6, of longest tibial dactyl 5.1, of Caudal femur 



12.5, of terminal tarsal joint of caudal tibia 3.4; width of pronotum 8.3, of 

 terminal tarsal joint of caudal tibia 1.6. Two other similar females are before 

 us bearing only the data "Mexico." 



133 In mexicanus these spines are described as 5-5 in number, and this is true 

 for the specimens of that species before us. 



