ORTIIOPTEKA. 75 



We i3ee this process half completed in the genus riafych-is, in which 

 there are some fully-winged species, some with wings too short, to be 

 used for flight, but with the elytra retained for purposes of stridulation, 

 though this primarily affects only the males, and a few species again 

 whicTa are normally hemiapterous, but are occasionally found macrop- 

 terous. I lind from the careful measurement of 28 species of this 

 genus that 10 only have the elytra longer than the body, rtc. :— 

 Platycleis (jrisea, P. intermedia, P. laticauda, P. ajfinis, P. tessellata, 

 P. stricta, P. montana, P. hrachyptera var., P. roeselii var., and P. 

 bicolor var., whilst P. rittata and P. hrachjptera (type) have the elytra 

 of almost the same length as the body, and P. roeselii (type) and 

 P. hicolor (type) have less than half the wing-length of their respective 

 varieties. Those with the elytra shorter than the body are P. orina, 

 P. nigrositpiata, P. incerta, P. sepium, P. modesta, P. decorata, P. raia, 

 P.prenjica, P. mmmreana, P. fusca, P. roeselii [iy^&), P. dormyledi, 

 P. ublonqicollis, P. warmorata, P. awjustipennis, and P. hicolor (type). 



It will be seen that the majority of species have elytra considerably 

 shorter than the body, and in seven cases only are these organs longer 

 than the body, if we exclude the rare macropterous forms of three 

 species which are occasionally found. The elytra are longer in the 

 females than in the males in P. [irhea, P. intermedia, P. laticauda, 

 P. modesta and P. fnsca. 



In the allied genus Thamnotri::<>n the wings are absent or abortive, 

 and the elytra are retained in the male, solely for purposes of stridu- 

 lation, being represented in the female merely by two lateral flaps or 



In the Ephippiqeridac, no known species can fiy. There are three 

 genera : Pi/eno<iasier contains six ponderous species with mere vestiges 

 of elytra -"P/ati/.sfo^i/.s- contains four similar species, while the genus 

 Epliippiyera contains over fifty species. In all these, the elytra are 

 equally developed in both sexes, useless for flight, but retained tor 

 stridulating. This genus is further remarkable, m that the female can 

 stridulate as well as the male, and that the insects chirp when angry 

 or frightened, as much as on any other occasions. 



As to dimorphic forms, in Platijdeis brachyptera,h. -Mid P. rueselu, 

 Hac^en, there are well-known, but rare, forms, which are macropterous ; 

 in Podisma too, macropterous forms occur. Of P. alpinum, there is a 

 recognised form, more eastern in distribution, in which the organs ot 

 flight are nearly as long as the abdomen, which seems curious, tor 

 they do not appear large enough to support the heavily-built insect in 



the air. 



(To he continued.) 



Exotic Locustid at Kew.— I have received from Kew Gardens a 

 specimen of an exotic Locustid, which Mr. Burr has identified as 

 ( 'npinjdiora hrerirnstris, Stal, one of the Conucephalidae. It is a houth 

 American species, and probably came over in the oval stage, to be 

 hatched in England. It was found on the underside of an unnamed 

 aroid, but the leaf did not appear to have been eaten. Itis a large 

 pale green insect, with a prominent fastigium, pale green in colour, 

 with fully developed elytra and wings, and a long ovipositor. Ihe tace 

 is ornamented with a large black patch in the centre, with a bright 

 orange spot beneath it. Total length, 85mm. ; length of ovipositor, 



