lee PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol. xxvi. 



upon lawns and meadows. In Massachusetts, especially in dry sea- 

 sons, its injuries are severe, it having been stated by Prof. W. P. 

 Brooks that this tiny foe does more damage to grasses here than any 

 other single insect. 



Genus APTINOTHRIPS Haliday. 



Body slender, almost naked. Head longer than wide, extending 

 forward in a Idunt projection between the eyes. Eyes small; ocelli 

 wanting. Antenna; eight segmented (six segmented in .4. mfufi var. 

 comiaUicornlH). Maxillary palpi three segmented. Prothorax shorter 

 than the head and somewhat broadened posteriorly, without long spines 

 at angles. Legs short; femora plainly thickened; tibite very slender at 

 the base, the remainder unusually broad; tarsi equally broad. Wings 

 entirely absent. Hairs at end of abdomen short and very slender. 



Males with two spines in middle of ninth segment above. 



Species of this genus move slowly and have no power of springing. 



I have found only the species rufus and its variety, connatticornis^ 

 belonging to this genus. 



APTINOTHRIPS RUFUS (Gmelin). 



Plate V, figs. 52-54. 



" Dei' rothe Blasenfuss" v. Gleichen, das Neueste aus dem Reiche d. Pflanzen, 



1764, pi. XVI, figs. 6 and 7. 

 Thrips rufa Gmelin, Caroli a Linne Systema Nat., 1788, p. 2224. 

 Thripsrufa Nicholsoin, Journ. Nat. Phil., 179-, pi. viii, fig. 1. 

 Thrips {Aptinothrips) rufa Haliday, Entoni. Mag., 1836, p. 445. 

 Thrips {Aptinothrips) rufa Haliday-Walkee, Homopt. Ins. of Brit. Mus., 1852, 



p. 1103, pi. V, figs. 5-11. 

 Aptinothrips rufa IjIndeman, Bull. Soc. Imp. d. Natur. d. Moscow, 1886, pp. 



319-320, fig. li. 

 Aptinothrips stylifera Trybom, Entoni. Tidskrift, Arg. 15, Hiift. 1-2, 1894, pp. 



41-58. 

 Aptinothrips rufa Uzel, Mon. der Ord. Thysanoptera, 1895, pp. 152-154, pi. II, 



fig. 17; pi. VI, figs 78, 79. 

 Aptinothrips rufa Trybom, Ofv. Ak. Forh., 1896, p. 613. 

 Aptinothrips rufa Reuter, Uber die Weissilhrigkeit der Wiesengrilser in Finland, 



1900. Scattered references, especially pp. 92-120. 

 Aptinothrips rufa TtJMPEL, Die Geradfliigler Mitteleuropas, 1901, p. 290. 



Female. — Length 1.22 mm. (1.06 to 1.30 mm.); width of mesothorax 

 about 0.18 mm. (0.16 to 0.20 mm.). General color, entire body and 

 legs clear, pale yellow; outer part of antenna, mouth parts, and tip of 

 abdomen shaded with brown. Body slender and smoothly fusiform. 



Head considerably longer than broad, rounded in front; cheeks 

 straight and parallel. Eyes small, black, oval, composed of few 

 facets, situated at anterior angles, protruding very slightly; ocelli 

 always absent. Mouth cone moderately long, not sharply pointed, 

 tipped with brown-black; maxillary palpi three segmented. Antennae 



