May 1S91.] 



PSYCHE. 



75 



Male : Length to tip of abdomen .So to .90 

 in. ; length of elytra .70 to .74 in. 



General color dull brown varying through 

 testaceous to bright yellow, but in the light- 

 est specimens the sternum is dull olive or 

 brown. In the most common form the head, 

 disk and sides of the pronotum are light 

 brown or testaceous or at least lighter in 

 color than the middle region of the body. 

 The black band of the pronotum, common in 

 species of this genus, is entirely obsolete or 

 rarely represented by a faint dusky line or 

 narrow band extending along the sides of the 

 head and the lateral carinae of the pronotum 

 to the base of the elytra. The elytra are 

 testaceous, unspotted or sometimes very ob- 

 scurely spotted with faint small or medium 

 dusky flecks. The posterior femora have the 

 upper half of both the inner and the outer 

 faces infuscated or at least darker than the 

 lower part with upper margin marked with 

 three lighter spots. The posterior tibiae are 

 bright blue with white spines tipped with 

 black. The whole body is hairy, but this fea- 

 ture is more marked upon the disk of the pro- 

 notum, the upper face of the posterior tibiae 

 and at the end of the abdomen. The facial 

 costa is sulcate, and the median carina of 

 the pronotum is distinct upon the metazone, 

 more or less distinct upon the prozone and 

 cut by three incisions. The elytra are nar- 

 row and usually extend much beyond the 

 abdomen. The posterior femora extend more 

 or less beyond the tip of the abdomen. The 

 anal cerci are broad at the base but are sud- 

 denly contracted on the upper side to half or 

 less than half the width at their origin; the 

 lower margin is straight and oblique, so that 

 the apical two-thirds of the cerci is directed 

 upwards but of equal width to the apex which 

 is rounded. The last ventral segment i.s ele- 

 vated and narrowed above at the sides with 

 the upper outline, seen from behind forming 

 a distinct but very obtuse angle. 



Female : Length to tip of ovipositor .go to 

 1.08 in.; length of elytra .75 to .S5 in. 



Similar to the male in color but somewhat 



stouter and larger. The elytra extend to or 

 considerably beyond the tip of the abdomen. 

 The posterior femora do not generally reach 

 to the tip of the abdomen. The upper plates 

 of the ovipositor are much exsertcd, 

 strongly upcurved and very acute while the 

 lower plates are long and slender with a 

 small or minute lateral tooth at the base. 

 Moline, III. August 27. 3 <J's, 12 $'s. 



The species just described belongs to 

 the femur-rubrum group of the genus 

 but it is very distinct from this species 

 and all others apparently. It was found 

 in large numbers on the sand bill be- 

 fore referred to and afterwards a few 

 specimens were found at widely scattered 

 points in Rock Island and adjoining 

 counties. It seems to inhabit only high 

 sandy ground. The specimens found 

 upon the sand hill were confined to 

 that portion where the only vegetation 

 was sand-burr (Cenchrus) . They were 

 colored so nearly like the yellow sand 

 that they were difficult to see when only 

 two or three feet away. The specimens 

 I afterwards found were generally darker 

 in color but they were invariably in the 

 neighborhood of sand-burrs. In the 

 lighter specimens the apical half or two- 

 thirds of the elytra were almost perfectly 

 transparent. 



S7- Pezotettix viridiilus. This very 

 pretty species was described from speci- 

 mens obtained in this locality. It is by 

 no means common however, being re- 

 stricted to a few localities. It shows a 

 decided preference for the sides of open 

 grassy ravines. It is I think the first 

 orthopteron to become mature from eggs 

 hatched in the spring. I have found 



