PSYCHE. 



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



BY ALBERT P. MORSE, WELLESLF.Y, MASS. 



i6. DissosTEiR,\ Scudd. 



Dissosteira Scudder 1S76. U. S. 

 Geog. Suiv. W. of lootli nierid., 

 Wheeler, aim. Rep't, 1876. appendix 



JJ. P- -9'- 



Saussure, while acknowledging the 

 priority of Spharagemon, refers to Dis- 

 sosteira the species here treated under 

 the names of Dissosteira, Spharagemon, 

 and Scirtetica. As genera are now 

 recognized both Dissosteira and Sphar- 

 agemon should receive generic rank, 

 Scirtetica perhaps being excepted. 



23. Dissosteira Carolina Linn. 



Locusta Caroliita. Harris, 176. 



Oedipoda Carolina. .Scudder, 46S ; 

 Smith, — Me., 150, — Conn., 371; 

 Thomas. 117. 



Dissosteria Carolina. Comstock, 

 104. 



Dissosteira carolijia. Saussure, 

 137; Fernald, 43 ; Morse, 105; Beut- 

 enmtUler, 39S. 



Antenna: (J, 9.5-11; 9, 11. 5-13. 

 Hind fern.: $, 12. 6-14. 7; 9, 15.5- 

 30.5. Teg.: <?, 2.S-33.5; 9^ 36-43- 

 Body: $, 24-2.8; 9, 33-42. Total 

 length : $ , 34.5-42 ; 9 , 43.5-53. mm. 



Though quite variable in appearance 

 this species is readily recognized by its 



black wings with pale border. The 

 border varies from dull white to yellow- 

 ish butt'. The most striking variation, 

 however, is in the ground color of the 

 bodv, which varies in examples from 

 tiie same localltv from liglit yellow to 

 dark fuscous or even blight reddish 

 brown. The tegmina are sometimes 

 markedlv trifasciate, sometimes evenly 

 maculate or almost unspotted. 



This is a very common and widely 

 distributed species, and piobably the 

 best known of any of the gi'oup, owing 

 to its conspicuous black wings and habit 

 of frecjuenting roadsides. From the 

 prevailing brown tints of its coloring it 

 has ill some localities received the name 

 of •'Qiiaker." Li correlation with its 

 large wing expanse its flight is power- 

 ful and erratic, and in hot August 

 afternoons it may often be seen hover- 

 ing motionless in the air or dancing up 

 and down above a particular spot and 

 stridulating, an act which is doubtless 

 to be looked upon as a sort of court- 

 ship. It is an aleit species, well able 

 to take care of itself, and on warm days 

 rather difficult to secure. 



It appears earlv in Julv, — I have 

 taken it on the 7tii — and is common 

 until late in the fall. It is found over 

 the whole of New England with the 



