﻿2 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM. 
  vol.xx. 
  

  

  Characteristics 
  and 
  limitations. 
  — 
  Stated 
  as 
  briefly 
  as 
  possible, 
  the 
  

   Melanoiili 
  are 
  Acridians 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  antennae 
  are 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  fore 
  

   femora, 
  which 
  have 
  no 
  foveolae 
  on 
  the 
  vertex, 
  thefastigiuni 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   deflexed, 
  passing 
  insensibly 
  into 
  the 
  frontal 
  costa, 
  the 
  prosternum 
  

   mncronate, 
  no 
  sharp 
  and 
  distinct 
  lateral 
  carinae 
  (or 
  they 
  are 
  rarely 
  

   present), 
  an 
  arolium 
  on 
  all 
  the 
  tarsi, 
  the 
  hind 
  tibiae 
  with 
  smooth 
  mar- 
  

   gins, 
  provided 
  with 
  9-14 
  (by 
  rare 
  exception 
  8) 
  spines 
  regularly 
  disposed 
  

   in 
  the 
  outer 
  series, 
  which 
  lacks 
  an 
  apical 
  representative, 
  and 
  the 
  second 
  

   hind 
  tarsal 
  joint 
  only 
  half 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  first. 
  

  

  To 
  state 
  their 
  characters 
  more 
  in 
  detail, 
  theMelanopli 
  may 
  be 
  described 
  

   as 
  Acridians, 
  generally 
  of 
  small 
  or 
  medium 
  size, 
  never 
  very 
  large, 
  in 
  

   which 
  the 
  head 
  is 
  not 
  greatly 
  exserted 
  and 
  the 
  face 
  is 
  moderately 
  oblique 
  

   or 
  sub 
  vertical 
  J 
  the 
  antennae 
  are 
  linear, 
  longer 
  than 
  the 
  fore 
  femora; 
  the 
  

   eyes 
  are 
  of 
  moderate 
  size, 
  not 
  very 
  strongly 
  prominent, 
  never 
  twice 
  as 
  

   long 
  as 
  the 
  iufraocular 
  i^ortion 
  of 
  the 
  genae, 
  the 
  interspace 
  between 
  

   them 
  very 
  rarely 
  broad, 
  generally 
  narrow; 
  the 
  fastiginm 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   decliveut, 
  never 
  greatly 
  produced 
  in 
  the 
  axis 
  of 
  the 
  body, 
  apically 
  entire 
  

   and 
  with 
  no 
  transverse 
  ruga, 
  jyassing 
  insensibly 
  and 
  with 
  obtuse 
  arcu- 
  

   ation 
  into 
  the 
  frontal 
  costa; 
  the 
  latter 
  is 
  hardly 
  rounded 
  as 
  seen 
  from 
  

   the 
  side, 
  percurrent 
  or 
  subpercurrent, 
  generally 
  sulcate, 
  the 
  sulcation 
  

   ordinarily 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  portion; 
  without 
  foveolae, 
  the 
  tempora 
  

   small, 
  obliquely 
  declivent, 
  confused 
  with 
  the 
  front; 
  the 
  superior 
  ocelli 
  

   more 
  distant 
  than 
  the 
  antennal 
  scrobes; 
  the 
  lateral 
  carinae 
  of 
  the 
  face 
  

   nearly 
  equidistant 
  from 
  the 
  lateral 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  frontal 
  costa, 
  but 
  

   slightly 
  divergent 
  inferiorly. 
  The 
  dorsum 
  ot 
  the 
  pronotum 
  is 
  nearly 
  

   plane 
  and 
  without 
  a 
  crest, 
  generally 
  with 
  no 
  distinct 
  lateral 
  carinae, 
  but 
  

   at 
  most 
  with 
  rounded 
  shoulders 
  or 
  feeble 
  rugae 
  to 
  represent 
  them, 
  but 
  

   often 
  passing 
  insensibly 
  into 
  the 
  lateral 
  lobes; 
  the 
  principal 
  sulcus 
  is 
  

   continuous; 
  the 
  prozona 
  is 
  generally 
  smooth 
  or 
  obsoletely 
  punctate, 
  

   never 
  tuberculate, 
  its 
  sulci 
  generally 
  feebly 
  impressed, 
  often 
  raesially 
  

   interrupted 
  or 
  subinterrui^ted, 
  the 
  posterior 
  sulcus 
  often 
  distinctly 
  

   divergent 
  laterally 
  from 
  the 
  principal 
  sulcus; 
  the 
  metazona 
  is 
  generally 
  

   shorter 
  than 
  the 
  prozona 
  and 
  lies 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  or 
  nearly 
  the 
  same 
  plane 
  

   ■with 
  it, 
  almost 
  always 
  densely 
  punctate; 
  the 
  lateral 
  lobes 
  are 
  truncate 
  

   or 
  subtruncate 
  posteriorly, 
  with 
  no 
  humeral 
  sinus 
  or 
  only 
  a 
  feeble 
  one, 
  

   the 
  posterior 
  lower 
  angle 
  distinctly 
  obtuse. 
  The 
  prosternum 
  is 
  armed 
  

   with 
  a 
  spine 
  which 
  is 
  usually 
  rather 
  prominent 
  and 
  conical, 
  sometimes 
  

   truncate, 
  never 
  sinuate, 
  generally 
  vertical 
  on 
  the 
  posterior 
  face, 
  nearly 
  

   or 
  quite 
  as 
  high 
  as 
  the 
  anterior 
  coxae, 
  the 
  posterior 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   sternum 
  not 
  or 
  but 
  slightly 
  tumescent; 
  the 
  mesosternal 
  lobes 
  are 
  quad- 
  

   rate 
  or 
  transverse, 
  separated 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  widely, 
  the 
  apical 
  inner 
  angle 
  

   rectangulate 
  or 
  obtusangulate, 
  generally 
  rounded 
  Coften 
  obtusely), 
  the 
  

   inner 
  margins 
  generally 
  rounded, 
  often 
  posteriorly 
  divergent; 
  the 
  meta- 
  

   sternal 
  lobes 
  are 
  contiguous 
  or 
  not 
  very 
  distant 
  excepting 
  sometimes 
  

   in 
  the 
  female 
  and 
  then 
  rarely 
  as 
  distant 
  or 
  even 
  nearly 
  as 
  distant 
  as 
  

  

  