378 STUDIES IN AMERICAN TETTIGONIIDAE (oRTHOPTERa) 



vertex black as far as, and not including, the basal tooth; the 

 majority of the specimens before us have the entire ventral surface 

 of the vertex black (this is true of all in the dark brown color 

 phase), but in occasional specimens this coloration covers only 

 the distal half, while a number are marked as in the type. 



In both this species and lyristes the spines of the ventral mar- 

 gins of the caudal femora are delicate and rather long, distinctly 

 longer than in N. exiliscanorus. 



jPjQ_ 3 — \eoconocephalus melanorhinus (R. & H.)- Cape May Court 

 House, New Jersey. Male. (Natural size.) 



There are no specimens in the large series before us having 

 the ventro-cephalic margins of the cephalic and median femora 

 armed. The caudal femora have the number of spines of the 

 ventral margins decidedly fewer than in lijristes, the external 

 margins are usually unarmed, sometimes supplied from one to 

 several spines, in the material l)efore us the extremes are, internal 

 3-8, external 0-3. 



For measurements see page 379. 



This species was found in large numbers on the salt marsh 

 tidal flats of New Jersey in areas of Spartina patens growing 

 near one foot in height, but it was also found there rather abun- 

 dant in areas of low Distichlis spicata. When first met with in 

 the summer of 1914, the males of a large colony were stridulating 

 vigorously early on a somewhat cloudy afternoon; the song was 

 a weak, high-pitched continuous buzzing, giving much the same 

 vibrating resonance as a bit of rubber stretched in the wind. The 

 note was very much weaker, richer in quality and less harsh 

 than that of N. robustus. During dayhght the singers invari- 

 ably seemed further away than was the case, and time and again 

 specimens were passed over until this fact was realized. At 

 night the song is somewhat louder and very similar to that of N. 

 lyristes, almost inappreciably higher pitched and more strident. 



