igoo] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 463 



Notes on Clastoptera (Cercopidae.) 



By C. F. Baker, Auburn, Alabama. 



Clastoptera lineaticollis Stal. (= Clastoptera delicata Uhl. ) I 

 think the above indicated synomymy will be verified by an ex- 

 amination of the types. Stal's name will take precedence. 

 Stal says distinctly of the thorax in lineaticollis , ' ' Lineis pluri- 

 bus transversis fuscis. ' ' In spite of this Mr. Ball has referred 

 it to obtiisa (see la. Acad. Sci., Vol. III.), even the western, 

 form of which never has more than two fuscous bands, while 

 the Californian form under the name lineaticollis in his scheme 

 is given as having the " pronotum entirely black." 



Clastoptera binotata (Ball.) Mr. Ball has merged this manu- 

 script species of Uhler's in delicata. I regard it as a good 

 .species. Among other things the pronotum in bifiotata is 

 opaque and broadly, shallowly wrinkled, in delicata {lineati- 

 collis) it is shining and nearly smooth. Binotata is further 

 distinguished by the coarser sculpturing of the clavus. A 

 variety of binotata occurs in California, having a greater ex- 

 tent of light coloring along the costa and a transverse light 

 band across lower part of face. 



According to recognized usage in zoological nomenclature 

 Mr. Ball's " sub.sp. I. lineata " of delicata should be known as 

 delicata. However, with the removal of bifiotata, there will be 

 no necessity for the use of any name in this connection. 



A similar state of affairs exists in connection with Mr. Ball's 

 varieties of proteus. He mentions the fact that saint-cyri 

 Prov. belongs to his " subspecies I," and yet applies the name 

 flava to that subspecies. At the same time it is impossible that 

 Fitch's varietal names should be utterly disregarded. Mr. Ball 

 rearranges the known varieties to conform with his own ideas 

 of their proper limits. This is entirely legitimate. But even 

 in this new arrangement many of the forms must be identical 

 with those studied by Fitch, and in these cases Fitch's names 

 must be used. 



Clastoptera osborni G. & B. This species appears in Mr. 

 Ball's arrangement as a "subspecies" of obtusa, with pint 

 and testacea as varieties. The pronotum in obtusa is shining 

 and with about nineteen or twenty distinct, even wrinkles. 



