232 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



which generally terminate beyond the middle; the furcula is usually 

 developed as slight, tapering denticulations only, and in one case these 

 disappear, but sometimes they are longer so as to be nearly or quite a 

 fourth as long as* the supraanal plate; the cerci are simple blades of 

 moderate breadth, generally a little arcuate, tapering a little in the 

 proximal, subequal in the distal half and rounded apically, not reach 

 ing the tip of the supraanal plate; the subgenital plate is small ami 

 the lateral and apical margins usually on the same plane, except for a 

 slight apical elevation or angulation which may take the form of a 

 tubercle, but in one species this also is wanting. 



The species, mostly of medium or small size and seven in number, 

 have a tolerably wide range in the western portion of the continent, 

 from Washington, South Dakota, and Michigan to southern California, 

 Texas, and Mexico; but with a single exception (Montana), the same 

 district does not support two species. One species is found about and 

 near the upper Mississippi, a second along the eastern border of the 

 Eocky Mountains from Montana to New Mexico, a third in Montana, 

 a fourth in Washington, and the others respectively in southern Cali- 

 fornia, Texas, and Mexico. 



53. MELANOPLUS MONTANUS. 



(Plate XV, fig. 8.) 



Platyphyma montana THOMAS!, Rep. U. S. Geol. Surv. Terr., V (1873), p. 155 

 GLOVER, 111. N. A. Ent., Orth. (1874), pi. xvm, fig. 11. BRUNER, Rep. U.> 

 Ent. Comra., Ill (1883), p. 58. 



Of medium size, blackish fuscous with a ferruginous tinge. Head not 

 prominent, fusco plumbeous, the mouth parts paler, blackish fuscous 

 above, with a broad postocular piceousband; vertex somewhat tumid, 

 somewhat elevated above the pronotum, the interspace between the 

 eyes fully half as broad again (male) or fully twice as broad (female) 

 as the first antenna! joint; fastigium steeply declivent, deeply (male) 

 or rather shallowly (female) sulcate throughout; frontal costa lost before 

 the clypeus, subequal, rather narrower than the interspace between the 

 eyes, slightly (male) or distinctly (female) sulcate at and for a brief 

 distance below the ocellus, rather heavily punctate throughout, the 

 larger puncta above the ocellus arranged biseriately and laterally; eyes 

 not very prominent but a little more so in the male than in the female, 

 of moderate size, as long as the infraocular portion of the genae; anten 

 nae nearly as long as the hind femora in the male. Pronotum subeqnal, 

 feebly expanding posteriorly in the female, the lower portion of the 

 lateral lobes dull dark testaceous in contrast to the piceous band of 

 the upper half, which is not lost (though obscured) on the metazona, the 

 disk rather broadly convex, passing (on the prozona insensibly, on 

 the metazona with a rounded shoulder) into the subvertical lateral 

 lobes; median carina distinct on the metazona, obsolete on the prozona; 

 front margin truncate, hind margin broadly obtusangulate, the angle 

 well rounded; prozona feebly longitudinal (male) or transverse (female), 



