116 THE CANAmAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



In Ihe darker forms (the darkest from Oregon) there is a broad brown 

 band with lighter margins, sometimes entirely involving the protuberance, 

 and extending downward and backward to the margin of the pronotnm. 

 The anterior extremity of the brown mark, medially, where the protuber- 

 ance slopes down in front to the level of the pronotum, persists as a 

 characteristic brownish mark even in the palest southern forms, and is 

 present as usual in both of the forms named by Coding. 



ilficrutalis, sp. 



This genus might almost be called the dominant group of the super- 

 family in Central America and the West Indies, as it is also in the 

 Southern United States. But it is also widely distributed in the United 

 States and Canada. One has only to collect considerable series in any 

 species— say af/r'f?, which is common in the United States— to discover 

 that like some other membracids ( 7>/«W6'//f? or Cyrtolobus, for instance) 

 these species possess a remarkable range of colour vaiiation. Even 

 Clasioptera proteus \\\\.\\ "xW its forms is not more protean than some of 

 these species of Micruialis. But I cannot find in the literature that any 

 account has been taken of these marvellous variations, nor have I seen 

 heretofore sufficiently large series in collections to properly illustrate them. 

 Many of the Micrutalis " species " of literature have been described from 

 one or a few specimens, whereas but very itw of the names represent 

 more than the merest colour forms, as large series clearly ])rove. For 

 instance, I have now before me from the Southern States, Mexico, Central 

 America and the West Indies, a series of one hundred and seventy -two 

 specimens, which evidently belong to the one specific grouf), hiiiaj-ia, of 

 Fairmaire, some from Belize representing the ty|)ical form. 



But in the lot there are scarcely two exactly alike, and the gradations 

 extend in various directions. For some of these names can be found, like 

 tfiutabilis, Fowler ; discalis, Walker ; pallens, I'owler : /ugiibrina, Stal ; 

 ///inoi'efis/s, God'\ng ; apica/is, Coding; trifurcata^ (ioding ; occidenta/is, 

 Coding ; parva, Coding ; and binotata. Coding. All of these are based 

 on the merest colour characters. But we would need twice again as many 

 names to designate the other forms which are equally distinct, and all of 

 which present the same range of form, size and structural characters as 

 the original binaria. The relation of this species to ca/va, which appears 

 to be generally larger and longer, and the variability of ca/va, are matters 

 to be investigated by the many collectors living within the range oi calva. 

 Part, at any rate, of the South American species of Stal are the merest 

 colour forms, and the relation of all of them to binaria and more northern 



