The Local Occurrence of Conocephalus strictus^ 

 William T. Davis 



Conocephalus strictus (Scudder). In our Proceedings, 

 volume 2, page 193, March-May 1909, this grasshopper is re- 

 corded under the name of Xiphidium strictum from Arrochar, 

 Staten Island, where on a dry and rather barren hill it occurred 

 quite commonly. The following note was made concerning the 

 specimens observed at that time: " While nearly all of the indi- 

 viduals have abortive tegmina and wings about three or four 

 mm. in length, a few have these parts well developed. In a 

 great many specimens collected, only two or three were inter- 

 mediate in this respect, that is to say, they are either without 

 wings or are well able to fly." 



In recent years this insect has spread very considerably on the 

 island, and during the autumn of 1915 it was found on Ward's 

 Hill, Pavilion Hill and Fort Hill near Tompkinsville ; also in the 

 Clove valley near the Clove Road and Bard Avenue, at all of 

 which localities it was found associated with the Virginia beard- 

 grass, Andropogon virginicus L., which also, of late years, has 

 spread considerably on Staten Island. About ninety specimens 

 of the insect were collected and many more were seen , all of which 

 were either provided with wings or were without them and not 

 able to fly. None of the rarer intermediate form recorded 

 from Arrochar was observed. 



1 Presented at the meeting of the Section of Natural Science April 8, 1916. 



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