204 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 



ovipositor is very short and small, scarcely exerted. Last ventral seg- 

 ment usually elongate and pointed, supra- anal plate acutely tapering. 

 Posterior femora elongate and narrow. Posterior tibiae with about 19 

 spines on the outer side. A distinctly post-ocular stripe of ferruginous 

 or brown is usually present on the sides of the head and the lateral 

 lobes of the pronotum and in the male, at least, a longitudinal median 

 stripe of the same color extends from the vertex to the posterior edge 

 of the pronotum. 



Mermiria, Stal, 1873. Recen. Orth., I, 90. 



Mermiria, Thos., 1875. Rept. Geol. and Geog. Surv. W. 100 Mer. , 

 V, Zool., 866. 



Mermiria, Brunner, 1893. Rev. Sys. Orth., 119. 



In part, Opsomala, Serv., 1838. Hist. Nat. Orth,, 586. 



In part, Opsomala, Burm., 1S38. Handb. Ent., II, 610. 



In part, Opomala, Thos., 1873. Syn. Acrid. N. Am., 62. 



Xlphlcera, Perty. Ins. Am. Mer. 



This genus is represented by six closely allied species in North 

 America. All the species known are natives of the Southern and 

 Southwestern States though the extreme limits of the range of some of 

 them extends as far north as Nebraska and Illinois. 



Key to Mermiria, Stal. 



A.' Face, seen from the side, straight, head distinctly shorter than the 



pronotum. 

 B.' Posterior femora not exceeding the tegmina, which are unspotted. 



Vertex rather shortly than broadly rounded in front. 

 C' Vertex with some trace of a median carina. Posterior femora 



very long and slender, exceeding the abdomen in both sexes. 



Last ventral segment of male elongate, acutely tapering to a 



point I . — Blvlttata, Serv. 



C.2 Vertex entirely destitute of a median carina. Posterior femora 



comparatively short and heavy, not cinite reaching the end of the 



abdomen in the female. Last ventral segment short and not 



acutely tapering to a point 2. — Texana, Bruner. 



B.2 Posterior femora exceeding the tegmina in both sexes. Tegmina 



generally spotted. Vertex broadly rounded 



3. — Maculpennis, Bruner. 



A. 2 Face seen from the side plainly sinuate. Vertex as long as or 



longer than broad. Head as long as the pronotum. 



