500 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The group Jassidae in its wider sense, or the superfamily Jas- 

 soidea of Van Duzee, includes insects distinguished by having 

 antennae setaceous, situated in front of the eyes, the pronotum 

 well developed, scutellum triangular, wrings generally opaque 

 but with distinct nervures and the tibiae with a double row of 

 spines on the dorsal side and without a circlet of spines on apex. 

 The group as so defined includes four well marked families dis- 

 tinguished by shape of head and position of antennae. 



A synopsis of these families and genera somewhat modified from 

 the scheme proposed by Mr Van Duzee is offered below. The 

 changes suggested are in part due to the description of new genera 

 proposed since Mr Van Duzee 's valuable key was published lo 

 years ago, partly to different value placed on some of the characters 

 iised in generic separation which the examination of material in 

 the new species and genera seems to confirm. Thus, I have re- 

 vised the grouping of genera imder Deltocephalini to include Scaph- 

 oideus and adapted his Athysanini to the inclusion of several new 

 genera. These changes while not solving all the difficulties ap- 

 parent in these complicated groups are believed to permit a more 

 natural grouping than is possible under the old system. 



Synopsis of families, Jassoidea 



A Elytral veins branching on the disk, forming fork inclosing anteapical 



cells. 

 a Head very short, vertex sloping or rounding on to the front and ocelli 



on front Bythoscopidae 



aa Head more or less prominent, the ocelli located on the disk of the 



vertex Tettigonidae 



aaa Head produced or rounded, ocelli on margin between vertex and 



front Jassidae 



AA Elytral veins branching at base and passing without fork to the apical 

 cells. Ocelli usually wanting Typhlocybidae 



Genera represented in New York 



Superfamily Jassoidea 



Family Bythoscopidae 



Bythoscopus 



Idiocerus 



Pediopsis 



Agallia 

 Family Tettigonidae 

 Subfamily tettigoninae 



Aulacizes 



Oncometopia 



Tettigonia 



Helochara 



