364 NORTH AMERICAN MELANOPLI (ORTHOPTERA) 



Melanoplus solitudinis new species (PI. XXIV, figs. 3, 4 and 5) 



This distinctive insect inhabits the undergrowth of the conifer 

 forests of the Markagunt and Paunsagunt Plateaus in southern 

 Utah. 



Compared with olamentke Hebard, males of this species are 

 found to agree closely in general structure, coloration and color 

 pattern, differing in the very weak or absent medio-longi- 

 tudinal carina of the pronotal disk, slightly longer and less 

 tapering furcula, supra-anal plate with more convex lateral 

 margins which show a marked thickened elevation just before 

 the cereal apices (in this feature and the inbent cereal apices 

 somewhat recalling the otherwise very distinct bernardinae 

 Hebard), cerci with apical portions shorter, broader, inbent and 

 with external surfaces more strongly impressed and penis with 

 proximal processes not nearly as tubular and others more acute. 



Type. — cT ; Bryce, Paunsagunt Plateau, Utah. Elevation 8200 

 feet. August 30, 1926. (Rehn and Hebard). [Hebard Col- 

 lection, Type no. 1264]. 



Size and form medium (size varying considerably in response to 

 conditions of immediate environment but not to altitude). 

 Vertex narrow, concave between the distinct lateral carinae; 

 frontal costa snowing very weak blunt lateral carinae and ex- 

 tensive but weak impression about the median ocellus. Pronotal 

 disk with fine medio-longitudinal carina present on metazona but 

 absent on prozona, sulci distinct but fine on dorsum, caudal 

 margin of disk obtuse-angulate produced with apex rounded. 

 Prosternal spine moderately elongate, distad rather slender with 

 apex bluntly rounded. Tegmina broad lanceolate with apices 

 sharply rounded, narrowly overlapping, length distinctly less than 

 that of pronotum (but individually variable to slightly longer 

 than that dimension). Apex of abdomen conspicuously thick- 

 ened. Furcula a minute pair of rounded projections springing 

 from moderately thickened areas of the tergite, slightly longer 

 than basal width. Supra-anal plate rather broadly shield-shaped 

 but longer than broad, medio-longitudinal sulcus very broad and 

 strong to median point, much weaker in distal portion, lateral 

 portions strongly concave, lateral margins showing rounded 

 thickening just before cereal apices, a trace of a very short trans- 

 verse carina opposite these at extremity of the deeper portion of 

 the medio-longitudinal sulcus; paired short disto-lateral carinae 

 prominent, parallel. Cercus short, shaft stout, proximal half 

 narrowing moderately due to the concave declivity of the dorsal 

 margin; distal half enlarging to become almost as broad as the 



