54 THE UNIVERSITY SCIENCE BULLETIN. 



Family SALDID^ Amyot & Serville 1843. 

 A. Taxonomy of Saldid^. 



In the treatment of the systematic part of this family the writer has 

 been fortunate enough to secure the loan of the Hayden Geological Re- 

 port of 1877 from the John Crear Library, of Chicago. This contains 

 Uhler's monograph of the Saldidae and the descriptions of all but a dozen 

 of those listed in Van Duzee's checklist. These latter have been gleaned 

 from the various sources in which they appeared. 



Uhler stated at the time (1877) that only one genus was used but that 

 good characters could be found for erecting others. Thus Reuter in his 

 paper "Zur generischen Teilung der palaarktischen und nearktischen 

 Acanthiaden" separates the family into 13 genera, eight of which are his 

 own. This paper appeared in "Ofversigt af Finska Vetenskaps-Societeten 

 Forhandlingar Bd. LIV, 1911-12, Afd. A. N. 012," which, by good chance, 

 was found in the exchange library of the Kansas Science Bulletin. As 

 the title indicates, the paper is in German, but the tables and descriptions 

 are in Latin. The writer has essayed to adapt the tables to the genera 

 recognized in Van Duzee's list and to render in English his generic de- 

 scriptions in part: 



"Family SALDID^ (A. & S.) 1843. 



"Form oval or long-ovate. Eyes large, strongly exserted, inner mar- 

 gin posteriorly emarginate or sometimes only subsinuate. Ocelli two, 

 distinct or very rarely united into one. Rostrum three-segmented, first 

 segment very short. Antennje much longer than the head, four-seg- 

 mented, subfiliform or two terminal segments enlarged. Pronotum trape- 

 zoidal, with the anterior side much the shorter, lateral margins oblique, 

 with the edges recurved and the submargin depressed; the latero-pos- 

 terior angles overlapping the base of the scutellum. Xyphus of the 

 prosternum short, triangular, the prosternum short, projecting backward 

 like a lid, over the base of the anterior coxae, the propleura with a 

 roundish pit beyond the anterior angle of the prosternum. Mesosternum 

 grooved, with the coxae placed moderately close together. Metasternum 

 deep-seated, the coxae in contact at the base. Hemelytra without cuneus. 

 Membrane with looped nervules, forming a transverse series of four or 

 five long areoles. Posterior coxae cardinated, broad. Posterior tro- 

 chanters very long, acute, placed on the inner side of base of femora; 

 the posterior femora and tibiae longer than the others. Anterior femora 

 slightly thicker than the others. Tarsi three-segmented, first very short. 

 Male genital segment with a dorsal apical opening, with two curved styles 

 converging apically. Last ventral segment of female retrorse, usually 

 produced, rounded, plate-like, covering the genital segments, apex rarely 

 truncate and exposing the genital segments." — Uhler and Reuter. 



"The posterior legs are thrown very far back by reason of the very 

 large and long coxae, and, together with the long femora and tibiae, give 

 them a great facility in vaulting into the air. They use their wings in 

 connection with this motion, and generally alight several feet from the 

 point of departure. Their motion in running over the ground is often 

 sinuous, while rapid, and their selective adherence to the spots which 

 best agree with their combination of colors may well shield them from 

 the pursuit of enemies." — Uhler. 



This family Saldidae is represented in America by eight genera and 

 thirty-two species. Reuter recognizes two subfamilies which may be 



separated as follows: 



