484 Mr. B. P. Uvarov — A Revision of 



1. Schistocerca gregaria (Forsk.). 



1775. Gryllus gregarius, Forskal, Descr. animalium, quae in itinere 

 orientali observavit, p. 81. , 



1804. Acridium i-)eregrinum^ Olivier, Voyage dans I'empire Otiioman, 

 etc. iv. p. 388, footnote. 



1910. \\Schistocerca tatarica^ Kirby, Syn. Cat. Orth. iii. p. 459. no. 46 

 (nee Linne !). 



The correct synonymy of this species was established by 

 H, Krau&s in 1907 (Denkschr. mat.-nat. Kl. K. Akad. Wiss. 

 Wien, Ixxi. p. 12 of separate copy), but Kirby overlooked 

 Krauss's paper, as well as that of Forskal, and thus 

 missed the name given to the insect in question by the 

 hitter author, which has priority over that of Olivier. 

 Moreover, Kirby added to the confusion by ascribing the 

 name Gryllus tat aricus of Linne to this insect, which clearly 

 contradicts the original description of the Linnean species, 

 as is shown in my notes on the latter (see below). 



All further synonyms are given by Kirby correctly, 

 including Acridium subsellatum^ Walker, the type of which 

 is a perfectly typical example of the species_, though reputed 

 to come from South America. 



The interrelations of this species and the South American 

 S. paranensis, Burm., have been studied by me on a fairly 

 large series of specimens, and the conclusion reached is that 

 they may be separated by a good number of morphological 

 characters, though I am not yet in the position to say 

 definitely whether those characters are of specific value, or 

 whether the two insects should be regarded as but subspecies 

 of one species. 



S. gregaria is fairly constant in its specific characters, 

 but 1 managed to find amongst the collections studied by me 

 a number of specimens which are all strikingly aberrant 

 from the typical form in the less constricted pronotum, 

 with the median keel more raised and the surface more 

 rugose, as well as in the dull greyish coloration, with distinct 

 dark and pale fasciae on the pronotum. This form agrees 

 perfectly well with the description of Acridium flaviventre, 

 Burm.^and I believe it to represent the solitary phase of the 

 species, and I call it, accordingly, S. gregaria, ph. flaviventris'f. 



Geographical distribution. S. gregaria occurs over practically 

 the whole of Africa (with the possible exception of the belt of 

 equatorial forests), and also in S.W. Asia, reaching as far 

 north as Transcaspia and as far east as Kashmir (B.M.), as 



t For a detailed account of the matter, as well as of the geographical 

 distribution, variability, and bionomics of S. gregaria, see my paper in 

 Bull. Entom. lies. xiv. pt. 1, 1923 (in press). 



