FSYCHE. 



ON THE OCCURRENCE OF DISSOSTE/RA LONGIPENNIS THOMAS. 



BY S. J. HUNTER. 

 Department of Entomology, University of Kansas. I^awrence. 



In the field work of this department 

 during the past summer, the writer had 

 occasion to give special attention to 

 grasshoppers. Dissosteira longipennis 

 was occasionally seen in the territory 

 under observation, being in all thirteen 

 counties situated between the ggth 

 meridian and the west line of the State. 

 In Edwards county, six miles south of 

 Offerlie, however, this locust was 

 abundant in a portion of an alfalfa field 

 of 320 acres. In bare spots, where no 

 alfalfa grew, more than a dozen insects 

 would take wing when disturbed and 

 fly in different directions for a short 

 distance. This was observed first on 

 July 6th. On September ist females of 

 this species were seen ovipositing in 

 this field. It is the writer's opinion 

 that this colony was bred and reared 

 upon this ground. 



In the latter part of September, 1897, 

 the writer captured a single female 

 three miles south of Lawrence in a 

 closely grazed pasture. In August, 

 1898, a student of this department took 

 two females upon the university campus. 

 On September 24th of this year the 



Professor L. Bruner, in his report to 

 the Nebraska State Board of Agricul- 

 ture for i8g6, says that though Dissos- 

 teira longipenuis has been known to 

 entomologists for twenty-five years, it 

 has been classed among our rarer Acri- 

 didae until 1891. At this time he was 

 called upon to investigate its habits in 

 eastern Colorado, where it had appeared 

 in large numbers. He afterwards speaks 

 of its habitat, and here we quote his 

 language.* "It is rather restricted in 

 its normal range, being found only upon 

 the plains of western Nebraska, Kansas, 

 southeastern Wyoming, eastern Colo- 

 rado, and northeastern New Mexico, at 

 an elevation of from 3,500 to 6,000 feet 

 above sea level. It is also known to 

 occur, for the most part, upon the grav- 

 elly slopes where vegetation is quite 

 sparse." Continuing his report to the 

 State Board of Agriculture, he states 

 that the insect has found its way east- 

 ward almost to the Missouri river in 

 Kansas and Nebraska. 



* Report to Riley, under whose instructions investiga- 

 tions were made. Bulletin No. 28, Div. Ent. U. S. Dept. 

 Agric, rp. 3t-39. 



