Grasshoppers of Kansas. 



SYSTEMATIC TREATISE OF THE MELANOPLI WITH REFER- 

 ENCE TO VARIATIONS FROM SCUDDER'S 

 DESCRIPTIONS. 



The aim of this paper has been to prepare a treatise on the Melanopli 

 of Kansas which would treat the taxonomic, economic and biologic phases 

 concerning this important group of grasshoppers. The greater number 

 of species studied have come from central and western Kansas, and 

 subsequent collecting in the eastern part of the state will undoubtedly 

 reveal a number of species belonging to this group, not treated. in this 

 paper. 



The keys to the genera and species have been modeled after Scudder's 

 keys; the description of the group and the genera have been copied from 

 Scudder directly. In the discussion of the species the variations of the 

 Kansas species from Scudder's description have been given. In recording 

 the measurements, the largest and smallest specimens were taken and 

 their measurements recorded, respectively. 



The author wishes to thank Prof. S. J. Hunter, under whose direction 

 this work was undertaken. He also wishes to express his appreciation to 

 Prof. H. B. Hungerford and to Miss Ruby Hosford for many helpful 

 suggestions and corrections of the paper; to Mr. F. B. Millikan, of Gar- 

 den City, with the Bureau of Entomology, for the use of laboratory and 

 material in carrying on experiments in the field and for his many help- 

 ful suggestions; .to Prof. G. A. Dean, of Manhattan, for the loan of a 

 number of specimens ; and to Mr. J. A. G. Rehn, of the Philadelphia 

 Academy of Natural Sciences, and Prof. Lawrence Brunner, of the Uni- 

 versity of Nebraska, for verifying some of the more difficult species and 

 for some very helpful suggestions. 



Melanopli. 



The Melanopli are acridians in which the antennas are longer than 

 the fore femora, which have no foveolae on the vertex, the fastigium 

 more or less deflexed, passing insensibly into the frontal costa, the pro- 

 sternum mucronate, no sharp and distinct lateral carina? (or they are 

 rarely present), an arolium on all the tarsi, the hind tibia with smooth 

 margins, provided with nine to fourteen (by rare exceptions eight) spines 

 regularly disposed in the outer series, which lacks an apical representa- 

 tive, and the second hind tarsal joint only half as long as the first. 



Stating their characters more in detail, the Melanopli may be de- 

 scribed as acridians, generally of small or medium size, never very large, 

 in which the head is not greatly exserted and the face is moderately 

 oblique or subvertical; the antennae are linear, longer than the fore 

 femora; the eyes are of moderate size, not very strongly prominent, 



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