40 REPORT UNITED STATES ENTOMOLOGICAL COMMISSION. 



Attention is called to the fact that neither of the authors mentioned 

 alludes to the serratures on the posterior femora, or want of the inter- 

 calate vein of the elytra. Serville evidently intended, by some of the 

 characters given in his first description of (he genus, to distinguish it 

 from Pneumora,, belonging to a wholly different group; his pronatal 

 characters are also inapplicaple to most of the species which have usually 

 been placed in the genus. Omitting these, nothing remains in his diag- 

 nosis but what is applicable to a number of other genera. 



Taking these facts into consideration, we are forced to consider the 

 Caloptemis of Burmeister, although given but as an emendation of Ser- 

 ville's CalUptamus^ as really a new genus. This being the case, Cfemur- 

 rnhrum must be retained as the type, unless femoratiis is considered a 

 good species. 



It is also worthy of remark that Seville's genus does not appear to 

 have been adopted or used by any other author previous to the publica- 

 tion of Burmeister's SandbucJi. On the contrary, BruUe (Hist. ]^at., 

 1835) 5 O. G. Costa (Fauna di Napoli, 1836), and Hahn (Icon. Orthop., 

 1835), retain italicus in Acridium. 



The character of Caloptemis and Fezotettix, as given by H. Fischer, 

 (Orthoptera Europea, 1853) were evidently intended to embrace only 

 European species, and although we infer from his reraarks that he would 

 include our species of Calopteni in the former genus, yet the characters 

 render it very doubtful where they would fall. 



Therefore, while we odmit that the group stood sadly in need of re- 

 vision at the time Stal entered upon the work, yet we do not think the 

 facts warrant him in dropping the generic name Caloptenus or in remov- 

 ing femur-ruhnim therefrom, hence we cannot follow him in this 

 change. This is, perhaps, not a proper j)lace to discuss a question of 

 this kind, but we have considered it necessary to say this much in ex- 

 planation of our reasons for difi'ering with so distinguished an entomol- 

 ogist in his special field as Dr. Stal. 



Umler the circumstances it is perhaps best that we should define the 

 genus as we understand it, or at least give the characters which the 

 North American species have in common which we include in Caloptenus, 

 These are as follows : 



Caloptenus, GeD.char. 



Head sub^lobular, front vertical, or nearly so. Eyes ovoid, sometimes almost sub- 

 orbicular, but usually the length is to the breadth as three to two, and the front side is 

 more or less straightened; usually the upper canthus is more or less angular, but some- 

 times it is rounded so as to obliterate the angle ; generally rounder and more promi- 

 nent in the male than in the female ; separated above by a little less than their width. 

 Vertex narrow between the eyes, the width at this point being a little less than the 

 width of the eye; usually though not always sulcate, the sulcus or groove shallow; 

 expanding slightly, abruptly, and angularly immediately in front of the eyes ; deflexed 

 (15'^ to 40°), and generally rounded in front. Frontal costa usually quite prominent, 

 about as broad as the vertex between the eyes ; sides parallel; flat, or shallowly sulcate, 



