Bruner: South American Crickets. 355 



Xya Latreille, Gen. Crust. Ins., IV (1809), p. 383; Burmeister, Handb. Ent., II 



(1838), p. 741. etc. 

 Heleropus Palisot de Beauvois, Ins. Afr. Amer. (1805), p. 231. 



The representatives of this genus are to be met with throughout the 

 warmer parts of the earth, where they are confined to low wet places 

 on the margins of streams, ponds, lakes, swamps, etc. They are 

 strongly aquatic in habit, often swimming about on the surface of 

 the water seemingly for the mere pleasure of it. At other times 

 they burrow beneath the mud and wet sand as do representatives of 

 the family Gryllotalpidse. They are essentially herbivorous and 

 may be collected by sweeping the grass and other vegetation growing 

 about their haunts. They may be collected also on mud and wet 

 sand when the weather is warm and the sun shines brightly. The 

 number of forms of these little cricket-like insects appears to be much 

 greater than published accounts would indicate, since there are many 

 variations in size and color-markings among them, as taken in different 

 regions, although these characteristics appear to be quite constant 

 with the individuals in each of these localities. 



Some of the characters which have been employed in separating 

 these interesting little insects are such as general form, color, size, 

 puncturation, presence or absence of spines or lamellae on the hind 

 tibiae, form of anal segments of the abdomen, shape of anal appendages, 

 or lamellae, smoothness of body, etc. Although some of these char- 

 acters seem to be indicative of groups rather than of species, it is 

 quite a difficult matter to decide definitely as to their real value 

 without a very careful study of the living insects from a number of 

 localities. 



Up to this time but few published references as to the actual occur- 

 rence of representatives of the genus exist for South American locali- 

 ties. Judging from material now at hand and the experience of the 

 present writer while collecting orthopterous insects in several localities 

 in Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina, the conclusion might be arrived 

 at that the reason for this absence of records of occurrence and of the 

 insects themselves is largely due to the neglect of collectors rather than 

 to the absence of the insects. 



The forms which are separated by the annexed synoptic table occur 

 in one or more of the South American countries. Undoubtedly some 

 of the species, which have been taken and reported in IMexico, Central 

 America, and the West Indies, will be found to occur in South America 

 as well, but until that time they will not be included in this key. 



