PSYCHE. 



NOTES ON NEW ENGLAND ACRIDIDAE.— III. OEDIPODINAE.— I. 



BY x\I,BERT P. MORSE, \VELLESLEY, MASS. 



This group of locusts hiis been ably 

 monographed at a comparatively recent 

 date b}- Saussure in his Prodromus and 

 its sequel.* A key to the genera is 

 given in each, the latter being the more 

 complete. 



He divides the entire group into three 

 legions — Oedipodites, Thrincites, Ere- 

 mobites — according to the presence or 

 absence of the apical spur on the exter- 

 nal margin of the hind tibiae, and the 

 position of the ocelli. All of our species 

 belong to the first group, lacking the 

 spine and having the ocelli placed near 

 the eyes. 



This group he divides, with one ex- 

 ception, into two series according to the 

 width of the space between the lobes of 

 the metasternum. To the first series, 

 having this space relatively narrow, be- 

 long Arphia, Chortophaga, Encoptolo- 

 phus, and three genera not represented 

 in New England ; to the other series, 

 with the space relatively wide, belong 

 all the remaining genera, about 60 in 

 number, which are classified chiefly 

 with reference to the form of the head 

 and pronotum and texture of the tegmi- 

 na. For furtlier details, and for an ex- 

 planation of the characters used in svs- 

 tematic treatment, nomenclature of 

 venation, etc., the student should con- 

 sult this admirable work. 



* Prodromus Oedipodiorum Insectorum ex ordine Or- 

 thopterorum. — Mt^m. soc. phys. et d'hist. nat. d. Geneve, 

 xxviii, No. g (iSS4> ; Addit.lmeiita ad Prodromum Oedipo- 

 diorum, ibid. XXX, No. i (iSSS). In French and Latin. 



In the following paper I have treated 

 the genera in the order of the systematic 

 arrangement as given by Saussure, but 

 in the key to species I have made use of 

 many characters of little or no svstema- 

 tic importance, preferring to use those 

 which will enable the novice to deter- 

 inine specimens with the most ease 

 and accuracy. The technical terms 

 found in the key will be readily com- 

 prehended, in case of doubt, by a glance 

 at tlie plate. 



To the Oedipodinae belong all of the 

 New England locusts having bright- 

 colored wings, a fact which, taken in 

 connection with their moderate or large 

 size, causes them to be rather conspic- 

 uous objects in flight. Not all of our 

 species are thus decorated, but by far 

 the larger number — twelve out of fif- 

 teen — the remaining three having them 

 either pellucid or faintly clouded. It 

 is worthy of notice in this connection 

 that the latter occur in greater abun- 

 dance of individuals than their more 

 conspicuous relatives, and that they 

 frequent fields with an abundance of 

 grass rather than places where the 

 herbage is sparse, which seem more 

 attractive to many of the others They 

 are also much less shy and active than 

 the bright-winged ones, which are the 

 wariest and most difticiilt to capture of 

 all our locusts. 



In the brightly-colored wings the 

 color may be mainly black, yellow or 



