232 nwcEEinsiis ot the satiosal mi helm. vouxx. 



wliicli ;;iMierall.v terminate beyond the nu<l(lle; tlie furciilrt is usually 

 developed as slijjht, taperinj^ denticulations only, and in one case these 

 disappear, hut sometimes they are longer so as to be nearly or quite ii 

 fourth as lon^ as the supraanal plate; the <'erei are simple blades of 

 moderate breadth, j^enerally a little arcuate, taperin^^ a little in the 

 ]>ro\imab subeipiid in the <listal half and rouiuled apieally, not reach 

 ing the tip of the supraanal plate; the sub<^enital plate is small and 

 the lateral and apical marj;ins usually on the same plane, except for a 

 slight apical elevation or anovulation which nmy take the form of a 

 tubercle, but in one species this also is wantinji. 



The species, mostly (d medium or sniall size and seven in nund)er. 

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

 from Washinjjton, South Dakota, and Michigan to southern <'alifornia, 

 Texas, an<l Mexico; but with a single exception (Montana), the sanu' 

 ilistrict does not sujiport two species. One species is found about and 

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

 Itocky 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. 



(IMate XV, fig. 8.) 



riatifphinna movUtna TnoMA^!. KN'p. I'. S. Geo), Siirv, Terr., V (1873), jt, 15r>.— 

 (iioNKi:. III. N. A. Knt , Oith. (1S74^. pi. xviii, li<r. 11.— Hkcxkk, Kep. I', s. 

 Knt. C'onmi., Ill (1SS3), p. r>8. 



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

 ])rominent, 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 antcnnal Joint; fastigium stcei>ly declivent, deeply (male) 

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

 the clypeus, aubequal, 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 intraocular jmrtion of the genae; anten 

 nae nearly as long as the hind femora in the male. Pronotum subeqn;il, 

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

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

 the npi)er 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 (lemale). 



