32, THE ENTOMOLOGIST. 
THE FOSSIL ORTHOPTERA OF FLORISSANT, 
COLORADO. 
By T. D. A. CockERELL. 
ORTHOPTERA are uncommon in the Tertiary rocks, and 
usually poorly preserved, although they must have abounded in 
former times as now. Probably most of the species were better 
able to escape destruction during volcanic eruptions than 
smaller and more fragile insects. The Miocene shales of Floris- 
sant have yielded no fewer than thirty-three species, and although 
this must be but a small fragment of the Orthopterous fauna of 
that time, it is sufficient to give us some idea of the types exist- 
ing perhaps a million years ago. Two new species have been 
recently discovered by Professor Wickham, and are described 
below. 
The Forficulide are represented at Florissant by the extinct 
genus Labiduromma, Scudder, with no fewer than ten species. 
Karwigs are the only Orthoptera in the shales which can be 
called common. 
Blattide are represented by three genera still living in 
America, each with a single species. It is possible that the 
species referred to Zetobora is really an Ischnoptera, and iden- 
tical with the described member of that genus. 
The Mantide are represented by three species, referred to 
two genera, both believed to be extinct. Scudder has described 
one Phasmid, placing it in Agathemera, a neotropical genus still 
extant. In the Acridiide we find the apparently extinct genus 
Teniopodites, Ckll. of the Acridiine; three species of Gidipodine ; 
and three of Tryxaline. All these Acridians, whenever their 
generic characters can be made out, seem to belong to extinct 
genera. In the Locustide we have Palgorehnia, Ckll., a remark- 
able extinct genus referred to Phaneropterine ; a very dubious 
member of the Pseudophylline ; Lithymnetes, Scudd., an extinet 
genus placed in the Oriental and Australian group Phyllo- 
pharine ; a Conocephaline referred to the living genus Orcheli- 
mum; two Decticine, belonging to the living genera Capnobotes 
and Anabrus; and two species of the widely distributed Gryll- 
acris, of the subfamily Gryllacridine (Gryllacrine, Kirby, 
Scudder). 
As the list stands, less than a third of the species seem to 
belong to modern genera, and it is quite possible that if we had 
complete specimens of these, at least some of them would prove 
to be incorrectly assigned. On the other hand, it may be that 
some of the genera described as extinct are still living. The 
whole matter must stand subject to future revision, should 
better materials be brought to light; but we can at least say 
this, that the Miocene Orthoptera of Colorado were, on the 
