Novt'iiiber — December 1890. ] 



PSYCHE. 



435 



AcROi-OPHiTus Thomas. 



Bodv niodeiatelj slender. Head moder- 

 atelj' large, slightly enlarging below, giving 

 greater effect to the subconical ascending 

 and advancing process, which is nearly as 

 long as the eye and is formed of the exten- 

 sion of the front and vertex; the latter atten- 

 uate in front, forming slightly less than a 

 right angle with the upper part of the frontal 

 costa, the angle minutely rounded ; frontal 

 costa slender, the sides faintly converging 

 from below upward, above the median ocel- 

 lus more rapidly convergent and at extreme 

 summit pinched to a lamina, below it sulrate, 

 the lateral carinae of the face conspicuous 

 throughout; fastigia obsolescent but not con- 

 founded with the vertex, their position at 

 tlie convex base of the lateral ridge of the 

 frontal process being clear but not sharply 

 defined, the fastigia being in no way de- 

 pressed, not visible fiom above. Lateral 

 ocelli far removed from the margin of the 

 vertex, close to the eyes. Eyes small, feebly 

 prominent, not more than half as long as 

 the infraocular portion of the genae. Anten- 

 nae half as long again as head and prothorax 

 together, nearly as long as the hind femora, 

 rather coarse, the first joint nearly twice as 

 long as broad, but little stouter than the suc- 

 ceeding, the joints of the apical half or more 

 punctate. 



Prothorax with the prozona quadrate with 

 parallel sides, the dorsum depressed buj 

 transversely and gently arched, the metazona 

 tapering slightly forward, the dorsum tecti- 

 form and strongly crested, — this with the 

 elevated head giving it a strong selliform 

 aspect; prozona with the median carina very 

 obscure, distinctly intersected not only by 

 the typical sulcus (which is thrust forward 

 by the metazonal crest) but also by two addi- 

 tional sulci, between which the carina is en- 

 tirely obliterated; metazona strongly and 

 roundly crested, the hind margin rectangu- 

 late, the lateral carinae distinctly intersected 

 by the typical sulcus, which extends normal- 

 ly into the lateral lobes; these have the pos- 



terior angle rectanguiate, the lower margin 

 obtusely angular, its hinder portion hori- 

 zontal, its anterior obliquely ascending; 

 metasternal lobes in $ nearly, in 9 fi^i'lyj 

 as far apart as the mesosternal, both quadrate 

 or transversely quadrate. Tegmina almost 

 uniformly coriaceous throughout but feebly 

 membranaceous apically, moderately slender, 

 rather densely reticulate, supplied normally 

 with spurious veins, the vena intercalata 

 vague or lacking, the vena media and vena 

 discoidalis both furcate, the vena axillaris 

 independent. Radiate veins of anal field of 

 wings normal, not incrassate. Hind femora 

 slender, longer than the abdomen; spurs of 

 hind tibiae strong, curved, arcuate, of con- 

 siderable length but the inner scarcely two 

 thirds as long as the first joint of the tarsi, 

 which are of normal length. 



These characteristics, apart from the 

 pointed head, seem to show the nearest 

 relation to JLeptoternis^ Conipoda and 

 allied genera of the Old World ; but 

 Acrolophitiis is still far removed from 

 them, and though not so extraordinary 

 a form as SaussiU'e's Daemonea from 

 South America, certainly shows many 

 features which recall that strange type, 

 and forms one link in a series connepting 

 the typical oedipodi?iac therewith. 



I know of but one species of the gen- 

 us, A. hiriipes, first found by Say on 

 the upper Arkansas and since reported 

 from near Canon City, Colorado, and 

 Fort D. A. Russell, Wyoming (Thom- 

 as) , and southern Colorado (Carpenter) , 

 and taken in Colorado 5000' (Morri- 

 son) , between Lakin, Western Kansas, 

 and Pueblo, Col., July S-9, iS77(Scud- 

 der), at Pueblo, Col., July 8-9 and 

 August 30-31, 1S77 (Scudder) , Meri- 

 dian Creek, Tex., June 6, "very rare, 

 found among bushes" (Belfrage), and 



