BULLETIN 



OF THE 



BUFFALO SOCIETY OF NATURAL SCIENCES. 



V ALU ME V. NO. V 



A Preliminary Review 



OF THE 



North American Delphacidae. 



By E. P. Van Duzee. 



Subfamily Delphacida embraces a large assemblage of small 

 active insects, mostly inhabitants of grassy meadows and pas- 

 tures, where at times they inflict considerable injury by punc- 

 turing the leaves and tender fruit of plants valuable to man. 

 Although individually much smaller than the members of our 

 other sub-families of the Fulgorida; they abundantly compen- 

 sate in numbers for what they lack in size. In most characters 

 they approach very closely to the Cixiida but they can at once 

 be distinguished from these as from all allied groups found in 

 North America by the presence of a large movable spur at the 

 apex ot the posterior tibiae, placed exteriorly to the base of 

 the tarsi. They are strong leapers as their long powerful hind 

 legs armed with numerous stout spines would indicate. 



Most of our Delphacids, especially in genus Liburnia, occur 

 in two more or less distinct forms : A macropterous or long- 

 winged, and a brachypterous, or short-winged form. These 

 terms are somewhat arbitrary as the developement of the ely- 

 tra and wings may present almost any gradation from a mere 



