PSYCHE. 



65 



der, 461 ; Smith, — Me., 14S, — Conn., 

 374 ; Thomas, 103 



Ckortophaga viridifasciala. Saiis- 

 siire, 73; Fernald, 40; Comstock, 104; 

 Morse, 105; Beutenmiiller, 295. 



Chiniarocephala vi rid i fascia fa . 



Comstock, 9S. 



A very full bibliography of this 

 species and interesting notes on \aria- 

 tion are given by Scudder in Proc. 

 Boston soc. nat. hist., xvii, 4S1, — also 

 Entom. notes, iv, So. In coloration, 

 dichromatism, form of head and char- 

 acter of haunts it is intermediate between 

 the present group and the Tr3-xalinae, 

 with which it ^vas formerlv classed. 



Antenna : ^ : 6-S ; 9 , 6-S. H. feni. : 

 c?, 10.5-12.5; 9, 13-15.5. Teg.: 

 S, 16.8-20; ?, lS.6-25. Body: <?, 

 17-20; 2, 32-32. Total length: J", 

 21.5-26; 9, 26-33 ■'■''""• 



This is our only species of the sub- 

 family which is markedly dichromatic, 

 presenting two distinct types of colora- 

 tion, one entirely brown, the other 

 largely green but with a smnll amount 

 of brown upon the tegmina. These 

 two forms are commonly distinguished 

 by the n?i.xn^s virginiana for the green 

 and infuscala for the brown, applied 

 to them by Fabriciusand Harris respec- 

 tively. Specimens are occasionall}' 

 found which can scarcely be referred 

 properly to either form, the color being 

 a mixture. Rarely, the green is wholly 

 or largely replaced on the head, prono- 

 tum and hind femora by pink or reddish 

 purple. 



This dichromatism is largely, but not 

 entirely, characteristic of sex ; most of 

 the females being green, of the males 



brown. Thus of 300 specimens iri my 

 collection only about iS per cent, of the 

 females are brown and 10 per cent, of the 

 males green. This proportion is smaller 

 than that given by Scudder (Proc. B. 

 S. N. H.. loc. cit.) but I have no doubt 

 that it is much higher than exists in 

 nature, the common practice of the 

 collector being, naturally, to preserve 

 more examples of the scarcer form. 

 Brown specimens vary much in intensity 

 of hue according to age, those taken in 

 late July and August being notably dark 

 colored. 



The hind tibiae differ much in color 

 in ditierent specimens, being variously 

 tinted with brown, blue, pink or purple, 

 without regard to sex. 



Harris' name, radiaia, proposed for 

 examples with infuscated wing-veins 

 and a slight difference in general color- 

 ation, does not seem worthy of retention. 

 This is the most abundant of our 

 springtime locusts. It is widely spread 

 over the country but is found most 

 plentifully in old, grassy, mowing fields 

 and pastures, where it occurs both in 

 the drier and moister portions and is 

 seemingly equally at home in' each. 



It is readily secured by sweeping. 

 While taking wing readily its flight is 

 short, seldom over a rod or two, and it 

 is not difficult to capture. The male 

 ffies in a circling course, and usually 

 stridulates, producing a fine, sharp crep- 

 itation ; the female flies farther and 

 more directlv. 



The season in which this species may 

 be found is the most protracted of any 

 locust of the present group. It makes 

 its appearance in April, — [ have taken 



