158 NEW NORTH AMERICAN MELANOPLI (oRTHOPTERA) 



The species was found common in sandy long-leaf pine, Pinus 

 palustris, flatwoods among dwarf oaks and oak shoots at Wood- 

 ville; very few in scrub oaks and oak shoots on flat sandy soil at 

 Carrabelle, and few in oak clumps at from two to five feet from 

 ground at Ocala, in an environment verj- similar to that of Wood- 

 ville. The species, like davisi, is thamnophilous, not rapid in 

 movements, but extremely powerful in leaping and unusually 

 able in hiding in the oak undergrowth to which it is peculiar. 



HESPEROTETTIX Scudder 



The species of this genus are extremely difficult to define 

 properly. The male genitaha, of such great diagnostic impor- 

 tance in so many species of the Melanopli, show no differences of 

 value between many of the species. Moreover, features of colora- 

 tion afford important factors in separating certain species, though 

 in some a decided amount of color variation occurs. Virtually 

 all the color variation within a species is attributable to intensi- 

 fication and recession of the color pattern, but it is clear that, 

 with this in mind, great care must be exercised in attributing 

 specific diagnostic values to features of coloration. Furthermore 

 it is apparent that great reduction in the organs of flight consti- 

 tute a valid reason for separating more than one species from a 

 long-winged species showing very slight additional differences, 

 though in other genera of the Melanopli {Melanoplus, Den- 

 drotettix) species occur in which both these conditions are found, 

 in some being ascribable to nothing more than individual varia- 

 tion. 



We admit that the features used below are in some cases not 

 as satisfactory as could be desired, but their sum total shows an 

 insect widely different in general appearance from its nearest 

 allies. We are confident that future studies in the chromosomes 

 and internal anatomy of these species will prove them far more 

 distinctive than might be supposed. 

 Hesperotettix gemmicula new species (Plate VIII, fig. 15.) 



This, the smallest of the Eastern species of the genus, is in our 

 opinion the handsomest of the known forms. 



Nearest relationship is with H. osceola, here described, under 

 which species a comparison is made. These species belong to the 



