-130 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Nov.,'17 



The Blattidae of North America north of the Mexican Boundary. 

 By Morgan Hebard. Memoirs of the American Entomological 

 Society, No. 2, pp. 284, pis. x. 



For many years systematic knowledge of our cockroaches has been 

 a reproach to American entomologists, a condition which ha^ been 

 due largelj' to scantiness and random character of material, unattrac- 

 tiveness of subject and lack of economic importance except of a few 

 species. This work by Mr. Hebard will go far to remedy this condition. 



Over 5350 specimens, in large part of original gathering, and com- 

 prising also the historical material from the largest American collec- 

 tions, has been studied in preparation of this paper, which, through 

 its careful and critical treatment, supplies a firm, basis for further 

 work. It was inevitable, under the preceding chaotic conditions, the 

 relation of winged and wingless forms often being unknown, that 

 m.any names should be synonymous. Plafamodes, Temnnptcryx and 

 Ischnoptera have long proved stumbling-blocks to the would-be identi- 

 fier of our native wild roaches. At last some of the doubtful points 

 of identity and nomenclature relating to these genera may be considered 

 settled. 



Not only have large series of native species been studied but also 

 extensive extra-limital and exotic collections for their bearing on the 

 forms and characters presented by our own: and several short papers 

 on portions of the group have been published during the preparation of 

 this work. Attention is w-isely directed herein, both under generic 

 and specific heads, primarily to those features proved to be of real diag- 

 nostic value, their comparative importance differing in different groups; 

 also to the range of variation presented in each species. The genitalia 

 of the male, relatively inaccessible and in consequence long negelcted, 

 have been examined and proved to possess valuable specific characters. 

 Keys for the identification of both males and females of the native 

 and the established exotic species are furnished; as the=e will doubt- 

 less be used by novices as well as by experienced entomologists, an 

 additional one for distinguishing the sexes might well have been added. 



Forty-three species and one geographic race are treated, of which 

 ten are probably established exotic adventives of domiciliary charac- 

 ter. A supplementary section is devoted to a discussion of adventive 

 material; this treats of 141 specimens representing 31 species of acci- 

 dental occurrence beyond the normal limits of their range. Of these 

 8 are native to the southern United States. Probably the importation 

 of tropical fruit is responsible for the great majority of the occur- 

 rences, which are recorded from as far inland as Ontario, Wisconsin, 

 Iowa, Nebraska. Idaho and Utah. An interesting question is raised in 

 reference to the possible parthenogenetic character in America of one 

 of these, Pycnoscelus siirinaviensis, of which nearly 400 females have 

 been captured but no males. 



