76 kansas university science bulletin. 



Membracid^. 



(Order Hemiptera. — Suborder Homoptera.) 

 The family Membracidse, although entirely phytophagous in 

 its habits, confines itself for the most part to weeds and 

 grasses. It is not a large family, as it includes not more than 

 1500 described species, but it is of wide distribution. 

 Geographical Distribution. 

 Frogatt states that the Membracidaj is a group confined to 

 the tropical regions and well represented in Australia, but bet- 

 ter in South America, where the forms are large and more 

 profuse. Notwithstanding this statement, this family is found 

 all over the United States and Canada, Great Britain, Austra- 

 lia, New Zealand, Philippine Islands and New Guinea, Sumatra 

 and Ceylon; in Brazil, Amazons and Ecuador; on temperate 

 slopes of the Himalaya mountains, and on high ground in Cen- 

 tral Africa. The distribution seems to follow the isothermal 

 lines of temperature rather than the boundaries of the zones. 

 However, a peculiar instance is noted in that Europe, excluding 

 the British Isles, is void of the family, with the exception of 

 three species of Centropida. 



On account of its jumping habits, it is difficult to collect, and 

 there are many localities, no doubt, where the form remains 

 unobserved. Those forms in the tropics are more prolific than 

 those in the temperate zones ; are larger and of more brilliant 

 colorings than the more noilhern species. 



In the United States the following states have reported col- • 

 lections: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, North Carolina, Cali- 

 fornia, Florida, Georgia, Vermont, Missouri, Oregon, Virginia, 

 New York, Texas, New Jersey, Wyoming, Illinois, and Kansas. 

 In Kansas the following counties have yielded specimens : 

 Neosho, Reno, Douglas, Finney, Rawlins, Gove, Cheyenne, 

 Cowley, Sedgwick, Woodson, Wilson, Allen, Seward, and 

 Sheridan. 



Description of Family. 

 The family Membracidfe, commonly called tree hoppers, be- 

 longs to the suborder Homoptera of the order Hemiptera, and 

 is placed by Buckton between Cicadidse and Cercopidae. The 

 classification as given by Comstock in "Introduction to Ento- 

 mology" is as follows : 



Beak evidently arising from the mentum; tarsi three jointed; antennae 

 minute, setiform; ocelli only two in number or wanting; males without 

 musical organs; prothorax prolonged into a horn or point above the 

 abdomen Membracid^. 



