GRASSHOPPERS — GURNEY AND BROOKS 55 



variety "of spretus with blue hind tibiae." He referred to material 

 reported by Dodge (1878), but no types are known to exist, and 

 probably none was set aside. It was previously reported (Riley, et al., 

 1878, p. 47) that some specimens of spretus had blue hind tibiae, and 

 it appears clear that no nominal significance should be attached to 

 such individuals. Scudder (1897b, p. 185) placed caeruleipes CockereU 

 in the synonymy of spretus, and Hebard (1925a, p. 113) referred to 

 the synonymy. 



Melanoplus spretis — originally described in Acridium and credited 

 to Uhler by Thomas (1865) but in reality described by Thomas him- 

 self because Uhler had published no description — is of uncertain 

 identity and the source of some confusion in the literature. No 

 type specimens of spretis were mentioned by Frison (1927) or Hebard 

 (1927). Riley, et al. (1878, pp. 43-44), stated that there must have 

 been some mistake in the description, and that the original speci- 

 mens of spretis were destroyed soon after the paper was written. 

 The name spretis occasionally has been used in the sense of the 

 Rocky Mountain grasshopper, as when Rehn (1900) recorded it 

 from Mexico, following which Hebard (1917; 1932a, p. 289) pointed 

 out the misidentification of mexicanus. Scudder (1897b, p. 185) 

 treated spretis Thomas as a synonym of spretus Walsh, and Hebard 

 (1934b, p. 197) did likewise. EarHer, however, Hebard (1925a, p. 113) 

 considered spretis a synonym of atlanis Riley. He appears to have 

 overlooked the fact that spretis antedated atlanis by 11 years! 

 Thomas (1865) stated that spretis was quite common in Illinois, 

 which we believe was untrue of spretus, and it would seem that 

 Melanoplus bilituratus was involved. The measurements given by 

 Thomas apply fully as well to spretus as to Illinois specimens of 

 bilituratus, however. Thomas (1878) credited spretus (sic!) to him- 

 self and referred to the Illinois State Agricultural Report. Because 

 of imcertainties over the identity of spretis, and the confusion with 

 spretus if both names were to be retained for distinct populations, it 

 is best to treat Acridium spretis Thomas 1865 as unrecognizable. 



Scudder (1878b) was the first to assign spretus to the genus 

 Melanoplus. 



Descriptive notes: A large, long-winged member of the mexi- 

 canus group (pi. 2,d). Head with fastigium comparatively far in 

 advance of compound eyes; the dorsal carinae of vertex less prom- 

 inent and farther apart than in mexicanus; eyes less rounded and 

 bulging than in mexicanus; especially in male; pronotum (fig. 15,a) 

 with strangulate narrowing of sides in front of principal transverse 

 sulcus, this conspicuous on lower portions of lateral lobes; in lateral 

 view the principal sulcus lower than remainder of median carina; 

 mesosternal hump well developed in male, absent in female. 



