OF OETHOPTERA IN TliE CAUCASUS AND WESTERN ASIA. 465 



1 1 . The district, of AderbaidzJian (Ad.). 



This district possesses a very rich Orthopteran fauna, the 

 niimber of species Ivnown being 125 (9 M -i- 1 P + 76 A + 24L 

 + 1 5 G) ; the real number should be considerably larger, not less, 

 I believe, than 150-160. 



The most interesting features of this fauna are as follows. 

 First of all, the presence of a representative of the suborder 

 Phasmodea ( (?raiwZMt hitahercidata) — which is not to be met with 

 in any other district, except Caspian Transcaucasia — clearly 

 indicates that the Aderbaidzhan faima belongs to a quite distinct 

 zoogeographical division. This is supported by the lai-ge number 

 of Mantodea, Acridiodea, and Cayllodea, while the number of 

 Locustodea is comparatively small. Among the Acridiodea the 

 large number of species belonging to the family QEdipodidae is very 

 conspicuous ; there are thirty Qlldipodids here against ten, for 

 example, inhabiting the neighbouring Somkheto-Kakhetian 

 district. But the fauna of Aderbaidzhan is as remarkable for 

 what it lacks as for what it possesses. Out of these negative 

 features the total absence of the genera Chrysochraon, Gompho- 

 cerus, Arcyptera.. FsojjJvas, Celes, and Podisma is veiy remarkable ; 

 they are all of northern (boreal or steppe) oi'igin, and do not 

 reach this district. Yet more inter-esting is the composition of 

 the fauna of Locustodea : out of the whole family Phaneropteridse, 

 so well represented in the districts belonging to the Balkano- 

 Anatolian province, we only find two here — Phaneroptera falcata 

 and Tylopsis tliymifolia, both very strong flyers and doubtless 

 recent immigrants ; the highly characteristic for the Balkano- 

 Anatolian fauna family Sagida5 is represented in Aderbaidzhan 

 by one species only, the most widely distributed Saga ephippi- 

 gera; the majority of Locustodeaii fauna being thus formed by 

 the Decticidae, which are sixteen in number, mostly species of 

 distinct "ancient Mediterranean" origin. 



The originality of the Aderbaidzhan fauna is most clearly 

 demonstrated by the large number of peculiar species (some of 

 them also ranging into Caspiaii Transcaucasia) ; nearly one third 

 of them are not to be found in any other district of the country, 

 being distributed beyond its limits, while eighteen are true 

 endemics, as follows : 



Ereniiapliila persica. Derocorys roseipennis lazuvescens. 



Brumierella mirabilis. Drymadusa grisea. 



Scintharista brunueri. Paradrymadusa pastuchovi. 

 Thalpomeiia persa. „ satvinini. 



Helioscirtus moseri tichomirovi. „ persa. 



Tmetliis persa. „ longipes. 



„ carinatiis. „ bocquilloni. 



Nocarodes woronowi. Platycleis pevsJca. 



„ schelkovnikovi. Olynthoscelis satunini. 



Amouijst these endemics a great percentage of the "ancient 

 Mediterranean " forms is evident, as, foi- example, all Paradry- 

 madicsa species, Drymadusa gi-lsea, two s])ecies of iVoaarodes, etc. 



32* 



