Mar., 1920] Generic Affinities of Certain Cicadellidce 155 



Genitalia: Ultimate ventral segment of female angularly produced 

 at middle, ovipositor extending about one-fourth its length beyond tip 

 of pygofer. Male valve very short, rounded behind, plates broad at 

 base, sharply contracted to near middle and extending as narrow 

 tapering apices to beyond the middle of the pygofer. 



While very similar to platyrhynchus, and possibly only a well 

 marked variety, this species is distinctly smaller, the central 

 fuscous stripe in the female is more pronounced and the hind 

 margin of female segment angularly produced and in the male 

 there is a very evident difference in the shorter head and smaller 

 size. Moreover the specimens were taken in a tract of prairie 

 grass at Brookings, S. Dak., where no Elymus, the foodplant of 

 platyrhynchus, was to be found. 



Type No. 22811, female allotype, male paratypes, in National 

 Museum, in Osborn Collection, Ohio State University; all taken 

 at same time, June, 1909, Brookings, S. Dak. 



Neoslossonia putnami Osborn. (Fig. 2a.) 



Dorxcephalus putnami Osborn Dav. Acad. Sci. X, p. 163 (1907). 

 Neoslossonia atra Van Duzee Bui. Buf. Soc. Nat. Hist. IX, p. 218 (1909). 



This species has been taken very rarely so far and the only 

 suggestion as to food habit is the note of VanDuzee that one of 

 the two specimens that he took in Florida was from a Palmetto 

 "hummock." The specimen from which the writer described 

 the species came from Chester, Ga., which I take it is out of the 

 range of the palmetto so that it should be looked for in a 

 palmetto association rather than upon this plant itself. 



Only males have been described and it is possible that the 

 female is a short winged form that does not occur where easily 

 taken in ordinary sweeping. I did not find any signs of the 

 species in examining palmetto in the isolated patch occurring 

 on Smith Id., N. C. 



The males are densely black and the details of genitalia 

 shown in the accompanying figure will serve to identify the 

 species in this sex. The females should be sought in protected 

 parts of the plants where males may be found and if not discov- 

 ered on leaves or stems should be looked for at the crown or 

 even below the surface of the ground. No doubt examples of 

 both sexes and the nymphal stages will be found in abundance 

 when the proper habitat and food plant is determined. 



