HOMOPTEROUS STUDIES. PART II. 



Morphological Studies of the Superfamily Jassoidea. 



Eric. S. Cogan, M. A. 



Introduction. 



The Superfamily Jassoidea comprises a large number of 

 small or comparatively small Homopterous insects, which 

 agree in respect to the character of the hind tibiae. The latter 

 are prismatic in shape and are armed with a row of spines on 

 their posterior margins. The head varies in shape and may 

 be angular or rounded, produced or shortened. The eyes are 

 located on the lateral margins of the head, and the breadth 

 across them is frequently the widest part of the body. The 

 antennas are usually inserted on the face between the eyes. 

 The thorax varies considerably, but in all the pronotum is the 

 most pronounced region. There are two pairs of wings, the first 

 pair being developed as tegmina and are usually coriaceous, 

 while the second pair may be membranous. In some forms the 

 elytra are reduced in size. 



The superfamily is generally subdivided into four sub- 

 families, viz. : Bythoscopidas, Tettigoniellidce, Jassidas and 

 Typhlocybidee, the subdivision of the first three being based 

 on the location of the ocelli, and of the last, on the character 

 of the venation of the elytra. In the Bythoscopidae, the 

 ocelli are situated on the front below the border of the vertex; 

 in the Tettigoniellidas they are on the disk of the vertex, while 

 in the Jassidae they are to be found on the border of the vertex 

 or between the latter and the face. In the three subfamilies 

 mentioned, the elytral nervures fork on the disk, while in the 

 Typhlocybidse the nervures fork at the base and run to the 

 apex of the elytron without further dividing. Again in the last 

 named family the ocelli may or may not be present. The 

 various subfamilies are further subdivided into a number of 

 genera, and frequently into tribes and divisions. 



The chief object of this investigation has been to obtain a 

 definite understanding of the external and internal anatomy 

 for the group generally and to establish homologies with the 



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