NO. 1 1 24. RE VISION OF THE MELA NOPLISC UDDER. 209 



39. MELANOPLUS ARIDUS. 

 (Plate XIV, fig. 3.) 



Pezotettix humphreysii THOMAS! (pars), Rep. Geogr. Expl. 100th mer., V (1875), p. 



890, pi. XLV, figs. 1, 2. 

 Pezotettix aridus SCUDDER!, Proc. Bost. Soc. Nat. Hist., XX (1879), pp. 84-85; 



Cent. Orth. (1879), pp. 73-74. BRUNEK, Rep. U. S. Ent. Comm., Ill (1883), 



p. 59. 



Brownish liavons, inclining to flavous below, marked with black. Head 

 slightly prominent especially in the male, more or less embrowned, with 

 a narrow mesial black stripe on summit and a broad postocularpiceous 

 band; vertex rather tumid, distinctly elevated above the pronotuui, the 

 interspace between the eyes slightly narrower (male) or slightly broader 

 (female) than the first antennal joint; fastigium steeply declivent, 

 sulcate, narrow, considerably expanding in front, the bounding walls 

 stout, rounded; frontal costa moderate, nearly equal, contracted 

 slightly just below the ocellus, above flat, below the ocellus a little 

 sulcate, rather broader than the interspace between the eyes; eyes 

 rather prominent especially in the male, as long as (female) or dis- 

 tinctly longer than (male) the infraocular portion of the genae; 

 antennae tiavo-testaceous, about five-sixths (male) or two thirds 

 (female) as long as the hind femora. Pronotum simple, expanding a 

 very little posteriorly, the prozona slightly swollen on the upper part 

 of the lateral lobes, into which the disk passes insensibly; there is a 

 broad black band at the upper limit of the lateral lobes of the pro- 

 zona, which either narrows on the metazona so as only to edge the 

 lower side of the position of the lateral cariuae, or, if of equal width 

 with the preceding portion, is enlivened by a yellow stripe passing 

 longitudinally through the middle, a continuation of the black bordered 

 yellowish stripe on the metathoracic epipleura; occasionally the band 

 is wholly obsolete on the metazona; in the middle of the portion of 

 the band on the prozona is also a roundish or oblique pyriform yellowish 

 spot; median cariua distinct, equal, but low and rounded ; front margin 

 truncate, hind margin gently convex, subaugulate; prozona obscurely 

 and sparsely punctate, distinctly (male) or very feebly (female) 

 longitudinal, a third (male) or a fourth (female) longer than the finely 

 and clearly punctate metazona. Prosternal spine not very long, 

 conical, blunt tipped, suberect; interspace between mesosternal lobes 

 fully (male) or nearly (female) half as long again as broad. Tegmina 

 abbreviate, shorter or at least no longer than the proiiotum, 

 rounded ovate, about twice as long as broad, the costal and 

 inner margins about equally convex, the extremity truncate and 

 broadly rounded, not in the least produced, dark brownish fuscous, 

 clouded with olivaceous. Fore and middle femora very gently tumid 

 in the male; hind femora dull olivaceo flavous, the outer face more or 

 Proc. X. M. vol. xx 14 



