260 FAMILY VII.— GRYLLID^. 



smaller and brighter colored. Like the mole crickets they 

 burrow, but are not so helpless away from their tunnels, 

 as the}^ can jump as well as the true crickets. It is not easy 

 to capture them, as their power of leaping is so marvelous 

 that they seem to disappear most mysteriously, the eye not 

 being able to follow them in the air. 



The sub-famiU' Myrmecophilinse is represented bv a 

 single genus in Minnesota. 



GENUS Myrmecophila Latreille. 



Besides the characters already given in the table this 

 genus is distinguished by the absence of compound eyes; 

 ocelli present; hind femora ovate; hind tibiae dilated, with 

 only three or four apical spurs. 



Fig. 169. — Myrmecophila nebrascensis. Original. 



No doubt a number of species occur in our state. The 

 insects are found only in the nests of ants, and consequently 

 are not readily observed. Yet a number have been seen 

 when searching for other insects in such nests. When moving 

 about quietly the insects resemble very closely young cock- 

 roaches, also found in similar surroundings, but as soon as 

 disturbed they prove the usefulness of the tremendous 

 muscles located in their swollen hind femora. Males are 

 exceedingh^ rare, in fact unknown in the European species. 

 Myrmecophila nebrascensis Bruti., is shown in fig. 169. 



The sub-family Gryllime contains two genera in Minne- 

 sota. 



