SPECIES OF THE GENUS CALOPTENUS. 43 



C, volucriSj Nebraska ; terminal segment of the male abdomen pointed 

 at the tip; elytra unspotted. 

 Some of these are doubtless good species and may be found to be more 

 widely distributed than our present knowledge would indicate. Some 

 of them are most probably local offshoots or varieties of femnr-ruhrum, 

 C. lielliio is from Texas ; the female only has been observed, and has 



the spots on the elytra scattered throughout. 

 C. regalis has been observed at only one locality in Nebraska, is very 

 distinct, being marked to a greater or less degree with bluish and 

 white ; disk of the elytra white, and veins of the wings white ; hind 

 tibiai bright blue, with a white annulus near the knee. 

 C. Yarrowii is known only by a single female, probably from Arizona, 

 but possibly from Nevada ; elytra brown, with oblong yellow spots 

 along the disk, scarcely as long as the abdomen. 

 C.flavolineatus^ from Southern California, is evidently very closely allied 

 to spretus^ and in all probability is but a southwest or Pacific coast 

 variety of it. It is distinguished from that species by being some- 

 what fleshier, shorter wings, and its bright yellow lines. The last 

 ventral segment of the male is very slightly notched. 

 0. angustipennis has been observed only in Nebraska, and is evidently 

 a local variety of C. atlanis ; in fact, the characters given scarcely 

 justify its being designated as a variety. 

 C. punctulatus, found in New England, is probably nothing raore than a 



sectional variety of femur rubrum, 

 C. occidentalism found west from Minnesota to Colorado, although iDossess- 

 ing distinctive characters, is probably nothing more than an offshoot 

 from femur-rulyrum, not like atlanis in the direction of spretus. 

 C. hilituratMSy Washington Territory, has been observed at but one or 

 two points. 

 This leaves but three species, femur-ruhrum, spretiis, and atlanis, which 

 require special mention in this connection, as they are the only ones 

 generally distributed which are so closely allied to each other as to 

 render it difficult to distinguish them. 

 Caloptenus spretus, Thomas. 



As every fact relating to the history and habits of this species is either 

 of economic or scientific interest, we give here a brief history of its no- 

 menclature. 



About 1860, Mr. Thomas, then residing in Southern Illinois, sent some 

 specimens of Orthoptera collected in that locality to Mr. P. E. Uhler, 

 of Baltimore, Md., for determination; among those returned was one 

 marked Acridium spretis, with a note stating that it was new. 



In a paper written by Mr. Thomas on " Insects injurious to vegetation 

 in Illinois," in 1862, but not published until 1865 (Trans. 111. St. Agl, 

 Soc, V), he describes a species of locust under the name A. spretis Uhler, 

 as follows : 



General color a dark, brownish purple, with dusky points and lighter rays. Head 

 brown, with dusky points ; antennse reddish yellow. Thorax an ashy brown, with a 



