172 FAMILY V.-ACRIDIIN^. 



SUB-FAMILY ACRIDIIN^. 



This sub famih^ of locusts, distinguished by an armed 

 prosternum, is well represented in our state, and some of the 

 most injurious insects known to our farmers belong here. 

 Only two groups of Acridiinse occur here, the Acridia and 

 Melanopli. To the former belong the very large locusts with 

 the mesosternal lobes longer than broad, the inner margin 

 straight, and to the latter smaller insects, with the mesos- 

 ternal lobes transverse or equally long and broad, the inner 

 margin usually rounded. The Acridia contain but one genus, 

 the Schistocerca ; several species of this genus occur in Min- 

 nesota. 



GENUS Schistocerca Stal. 



Large size, vertex concave; median carina of pronotum 

 distinct; lateral carina rounded; prosternum provided with 

 a long, stout, blunt spine; wings well developed, as long or 

 longer than the body. Last segment of male not swollen. 



A number of species have been reported from Minnesota, 

 and the following onesw^ere captured in 1896. Sch. emargi- 

 nata Uhler, Sch. rubiginosa Harr., and Sch. alutacea Harr. 

 Sch. americana Drury is a southern insect, 3'et they can ex- 

 tend as far north as Minnesota, as indicated by the capture 

 of one of these insects in the southeastern corner of the state. 



Schistocerca alutacea Harris. 



This large insect occurred early in Juh' in large numbers 

 at Gray Cloud Island, in a stubble field, which was over- 

 grown with large plants of Rudbeckia and other weeds. 

 The insect, when fresh, is dirty olive-brown or green, with a 

 rather broad, more or less bright yellow longitudinal stripe 

 on the top of the head and pronotum ; wing-covers brown, 

 sometimes marked with darker spots and dots; along the 

 inner margin is a bright j^ellow stripe which becomes lost 

 near the apex ; hind wangs transparent, yellowish at the 

 base and becoming brownish towards the apex. 



