﻿RICE 
  GRASSHOPPERS 
  OF 
  GENUS 
  HIEROGLYPHUS 
  AND 
  THEIR 
  NEAREST 
  ALLIES. 
  239 
  

  

  The 
  exact 
  relation 
  of 
  the 
  var. 
  elongata 
  to 
  the 
  typical 
  form 
  is 
  uncertain. 
  I 
  cannot 
  

   regard 
  it 
  as 
  distinct 
  specifically, 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  the 
  important 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  meso- 
  

   sternum, 
  because 
  there 
  are 
  before 
  me 
  some 
  specimens 
  which 
  are 
  transitional 
  between 
  

   the 
  two 
  forms 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  ; 
  there 
  are 
  also 
  clear 
  transitions 
  in 
  other 
  characters., 
  

   notably 
  in 
  the 
  coloration 
  of 
  the 
  pronotum, 
  which 
  often 
  has 
  blackened 
  sulci 
  in 
  specimens 
  

   morphologically 
  identical 
  with 
  var. 
  elongata. 
  The 
  most 
  interesting 
  point 
  is 
  that 
  

   different 
  lots 
  of 
  specimens, 
  each 
  including 
  only 
  individuals 
  taken 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  locality 
  

   and 
  on 
  the 
  same 
  date, 
  exhibit 
  a 
  remarkable 
  constancy 
  of 
  characters 
  in 
  each 
  lot, 
  and 
  

   a 
  not 
  less 
  remarkable 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  complex 
  of 
  characters 
  from 
  other 
  lots. 
  Thus 
  

   a 
  long 
  series 
  of 
  specimens 
  from 
  Pusa, 
  vi.1908, 
  represent 
  most 
  typical 
  examples 
  of 
  

   H. 
  banian 
  ; 
  another 
  series 
  from 
  the 
  same 
  locality, 
  vi.1906, 
  consists 
  of 
  specimens 
  

   also 
  typical, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  average 
  somewhat 
  larger 
  ; 
  all 
  insects 
  from 
  Ballia, 
  Bengal, 
  

   14. 
  ix. 
  1907, 
  on 
  sugar-cane, 
  are 
  of 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  size 
  as 
  the 
  previous 
  lot, 
  but 
  decidedly 
  

   more 
  slender 
  ; 
  specimens 
  from 
  South 
  Mysore, 
  ix.1903, 
  are 
  as 
  large 
  as 
  var. 
  elongata, 
  

   and 
  with 
  the 
  sulci 
  of 
  the 
  pronotum 
  hardly 
  blackened, 
  but 
  heavily 
  built 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   structure 
  of 
  mesosternum 
  nearer 
  to 
  the 
  typical 
  form 
  ; 
  the 
  Faridpur 
  series 
  of 
  var. 
  

   elongata 
  consists 
  of 
  specimens 
  decidedly 
  larger 
  than 
  that 
  from 
  Cuttack, 
  or 
  from 
  

   Khurda 
  ; 
  specimens 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  series 
  are 
  also 
  remarkable 
  by 
  the 
  more 
  saddle- 
  

   shaped 
  pronotum 
  ; 
  while 
  all 
  specimens 
  from 
  Shahganj, 
  though 
  agreeing 
  in 
  all 
  respects 
  

   with 
  var. 
  elongata, 
  show 
  distinctly 
  blackened 
  sulci 
  ; 
  and 
  so 
  forth. 
  These 
  facts 
  suggest 
  

   that 
  H. 
  banian 
  is 
  a 
  species 
  which 
  is 
  liable 
  to 
  considerable 
  variations, 
  probably, 
  in 
  

   connection 
  with 
  some 
  peculiarities 
  of 
  local 
  and 
  seasonal 
  conditions, 
  and 
  the 
  var. 
  

   elongata 
  is 
  only 
  an 
  extreme 
  form, 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  opposite 
  extreme 
  by 
  transitions. 
  

   If 
  this 
  suggestion 
  is 
  correct 
  (which 
  may 
  be 
  proved 
  by 
  an 
  extensive 
  study 
  of 
  very 
  

   long 
  series 
  of 
  specimens 
  collected 
  in 
  various 
  localities 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  locality 
  in 
  

   different 
  years, 
  on 
  the 
  one 
  hand, 
  and 
  by 
  breeding 
  experiments 
  under 
  different 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  on 
  the 
  other), 
  then 
  var. 
  elongata 
  and 
  other 
  minor 
  varieties 
  may 
  be 
  regarded 
  

   as 
  morphae, 
  or 
  ecological 
  forms 
  ; 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  meantime 
  the 
  indefinite 
  term 
  " 
  variety 
  " 
  

   is 
  preferable. 
  The 
  study 
  of 
  the 
  variability 
  of 
  H. 
  banian 
  may 
  prove 
  to 
  be 
  of 
  great 
  

   economic 
  importance, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  impossible 
  that 
  periodical 
  increases 
  in 
  the 
  number 
  

   of 
  these 
  grasshoppers 
  leading 
  to 
  an 
  invasion 
  of 
  crops, 
  are 
  connected 
  with 
  morpho- 
  

   logical 
  variations 
  of 
  the 
  insect, 
  as 
  is 
  the 
  case 
  with 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  swarming 
  locusts.* 
  

  

  Geographical 
  distribution. 
  — 
  H. 
  banian 
  is, 
  probably, 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  

   of 
  this 
  genus 
  in 
  India 
  and 
  distributed 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  plains, 
  but 
  the 
  north-western, 
  

   northern 
  and 
  north-eastern 
  limits 
  of 
  its 
  area 
  are 
  yet 
  very 
  inadequately 
  known 
  ; 
  it 
  

   seems 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  extend 
  either 
  into 
  the 
  north-western 
  provinces 
  or 
  into 
  Assam, 
  

   though 
  the 
  lack 
  of 
  records 
  from 
  these 
  parts 
  may 
  be 
  due 
  simply 
  to 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  these 
  

   insects 
  have 
  not 
  been 
  searched 
  for 
  there. 
  I 
  think 
  it 
  needless 
  to 
  give 
  here 
  a 
  complete 
  

   list 
  of 
  localities. 
  

  

  Economic 
  importance. 
  — 
  The 
  bionomics 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  are 
  fully 
  described 
  in 
  the 
  

   valuable 
  bulletin 
  of 
  Coleman 
  and 
  Kuhni 
  Kannan 
  (see 
  reference 
  under 
  synonymy). 
  

   The 
  chief 
  plants 
  affected 
  during 
  its 
  invasions 
  are 
  rice 
  and 
  sugar-cane, 
  but 
  other 
  crops, 
  

   such 
  as 
  sorghum, 
  maize, 
  or 
  Setaria, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  grasses, 
  are 
  also 
  eaten. 
  

  

  6. 
  Hieioglyphus 
  tonkinensis, 
  Bol. 
  

  

  1912. 
  HieroglypJiits 
  tonkinensis, 
  I. 
  Bolivar, 
  Trab. 
  Mus. 
  Madrid, 
  no. 
  6, 
  p. 
  54. 
  

  

  1918. 
  Hicroglyphus 
  tonkinensis, 
  I. 
  Bolivar, 
  I.e., 
  no. 
  34, 
  p. 
  29. 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  must 
  not 
  be 
  confused 
  with 
  H. 
  tonkinensis 
  of 
  Carl, 
  described 
  in 
  1916, 
  

   which 
  is 
  conspecific 
  with 
  H. 
  annalicornis, 
  Shir, 
  (see 
  above). 
  

  

  The 
  principal 
  difference 
  of 
  this 
  species, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  type 
  and 
  only 
  known 
  specimen 
  

   has 
  been 
  studied 
  by 
  me, 
  from 
  H. 
  banian 
  consists 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  cerci, 
  as 
  

   the 
  other 
  characters 
  given 
  by 
  Bolivar 
  are 
  not 
  constant 
  in 
  H. 
  banian 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  already 
  

  

  * 
  See 
  my 
  paper 
  on 
  the 
  genus 
  Locusta 
  with 
  a 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  periodicity 
  of 
  locusts, 
  in 
  Bull. 
  

   Ent. 
  Res., 
  xii, 
  1921, 
  pp. 
  135-163. 
  

  

  