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A PRELIMINARY REVISION OF THE GENUS DOCIOSTAURUS, FIEB. 



By B. P. UvARov, 

 Assistant Entomologist, Imperial Bureau of Entomology. 



The genus Dociostaurus, Fieb., which is synonymous with Stauronotus, Fisch., 

 includes several species of locusts and grasshoppers injurious to agriculture in South- 

 Eastern Europe, Central and Western Asia and North Africa, the well known 

 Moroccan locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus, Thunb.) being one of the worst pests 

 in Algeria, Tunisia, Asia Minor, the Caucasus and Turkestan. The systematics of the 

 species of this genus are in a very unsatisfactory state, and this, together with the 

 tendency of the species to individual variability, is the cause of many mistakes in 

 their identification on the part of economic entomologists. The object of this paper 

 is, therefore, to establish a more or less natural system of the species enabling every- 

 one to identify them with certainty. 



The materials upon which this work is based were assembled by me from different 

 sources. First of all, I have worked out the collection of the Tiflis Museum (Caucasus), 

 where very large series of Dociostaurus species from Transcaucasia and Persia are 

 to be found. Then also the very rich collection of the Turkestan Entomological 

 Station (in Tashkent) was placed at my disposal by the Director of this Station, 

 V. Plotnikov. My friend N. Ikonnikov sent me large series of specimens from 

 Turkestan, Bokhara, and other places, as well as the material in the Museum 

 of Moscow University. The Entomologist of the Entomological Station in Bairam- 

 Ali (Transcaspia), D. A. Smirnov, collected for me in that locality, where I myself 

 had also collected previously. My own collection contains extensive series of this 

 genus taken by myself in Uralsk province (S. E. Russia), Northern Caucasus and 

 Transcaucasia. Very helpful for me was the kindness of Messrs. C. & I. Bolivar, 

 who sent me for study several Spanish and North African representatives of this 

 genus, as well as the types of species described by I. Bolivar. To all the above- 

 named gentlemen I wish to express here my cordial thanks for the loan of 

 material which has enabled me to accomplish this revision. 



The genus Dociostaurus was described in June 1853 by Fieber (Lotos, iii, p. 118), 

 and in the same year, but in November, by Fischer (Orthoptera Europaea, pp. 297, 

 351) under the name Stauronotus ; Fischer's name has been generally accepted, 

 but it must give way to Dociostaurus, Fieb., according to the law of priority. 

 W. F. Kirby in his catalogue (Synon. Cat. of Orthoptera, iii, pp. 152-154, 1910) 

 includes in the genus Dociostaurus 12 species. Later on, I. Bolivar described in 

 1911 D. kervillei from Persia and in 1917 Z). dantini from Morocco ; Kirby and 

 Waterhouse included (Fauna Brit. India, Acrid., pp. 117-120, 1914) in this genus 

 five species described by Walker under Stenobothrus. Prof. Stchelkanovzev 

 described in 1909 D. tartarus (Izvestia Varshav. Universit., Warsaw, 1909, p. 34), 

 which is omitted in Kirby 's Catalogue. Lastly, F. Werner published in 1913 one 

 more species from Egypt under the name of D. gracilis (Zooi. J ahih., Syst., xxxiv> 

 p. 220). 

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