• LAWSON: KANSAS CICADELLID^. 175 



angles and slightly rounding in the middle; pygofers broad, slightly 

 exceeded by the ovipositor, spiny on distal half. Male, valve broad, tri- 

 angular, obtusely angled apically, three-fourths as long as last ventral 

 segment; plates triangular, over tw^ice as long as the valve, spiny mar- 

 gins convexly narrowing to subacute apices which exceed the pygofers. 



Distribution: Taken in Pottawatomie county only. 

 Hosts: A prairie grass species. 



This is the form that Osborn & Ball identify as Euscelis 

 vaccina (Van D.). In his catalog Mr. Van Duzee, while still 

 giving Euscelis striatulus (Fall.) and Euscelis vaccimi (Van 

 D.) separate numbers, remarks that they are probably not 

 distinct. If this is true then of course Fallen's name stands. 

 Dr. Ball, however, thinks they are separate species and that 

 the form described above is Euscelis vaccinii (Van D.). Until 

 some one goes into a careful study of the two above species, 

 Euscelis instabilis (Van D.) and probably others, it might be 

 well to follow Van Duzee's synonomy. 



Euscelis comma (VanD.). 



Athysanus comma Yan D., Can. Ent., xxiv, p. 114, 1892. 

 Athysanus comma O. & B., Proc. la. Acad. Sci., iv, p. 223, 1897. 

 Athysanus comma O. & B., Ohio Nat., li, p. 246, pi. 17, fig. 1, 1902. 

 Euscelis comma Van D., Cat. Heniip. N. A., p. 660, 1917. 



Fcrtn: Broad and stout. Length, 4 to 5 mm. Vertex three-fourths 

 longer on middle than next the eye, almost twice as wide as long, disc 

 flat, obtusely rounding with front, obtusely angled apically. Pronotum 

 one-third longer than vertex, two and one-half times as wide as long, 

 lateral margins long, humeral margins fused with slightly emarginate 

 posterior margin. Elytra long, exceeding the abdomen, parallel-margined 

 or short and somewhat flaring, reaching the last abdominal segment, 

 venation indistinct. 



Colo)-: Creamy, marked with black and brown. Vertex with four 

 large black marginal spots which extend on to the front, and two large 

 basal ones. Pronotum with four black longitudinal lines, the inner pair 

 extending across the scutellum. Elytra pale with black or dark brown 

 lines on claval suture, around apex, and along inner branch of first 

 sector. Fulvous brown bands are found on the claxnis, dividing anteriorly 

 to meet the lines on the pronotum and scutellum, and one parallel with 

 the outer and posterior margin. In the brachypterous forms a large 

 black comma is found on either side of the pygofer. Face and below pale 

 with a black spot below the antennae, a pair below the lateral margins 

 of the pronotum and a stripe on the lateral margin of the connexivum. 



External genitalia : Female, last ventral segment half longer than the 

 preceding, lateral angles obtuse and produced, posterior margin round- 

 ingly emarginate with a black-margined median slit; pygofers broad and 



