ON A COLLECTION OF ACRIDIDAE 



521 



amongst the Acridinae, Moraba, show some peculiarities concerning 

 their behaviour. 



The Eumastacinae belong to the typical fauna of the virgin bush. 

 They are only to be found at the edge of the higli forest or close 

 to it and never enter the open country or the plantations. They sit 

 on the leaves of bushes and trees and prefer the proximity of 

 water or very damp places. 



Moraba is a peculiar wingless Australian genus. It is to be 

 found everywhere in the virgin bush of Northern Australia and 

 seems to be confined to young Eucalypt shrubs, on which it sits 

 closely attached to the stems and branches in the manner of 

 stick-insects, to which their form bear some ressemblance. Their 

 movements are very slow and very seldom they jump ; their hindlegs 

 are not much stronger than the middle and anterior pair, and only 

 fit for climbing. So the form seems to be adapted completely to live 

 on trees, where it needs not to jump for shelter as soil forms are 

 doing; their shape and color being sufïïcient to protect the 

 form from sight. 



AU other forms belong to the open country, the plantations 

 and the grasslands. There they are to be found especially numerous 

 after the harvest and in Northern Australia during the bush-fîres, 

 from which they are flying in great masses, prosecuted by the birds 

 whose easy prey they are. 



APPENDIX. 



New Acrididae from North-Australia 



by 



Dr. Yngve Sjôstedt 

 Stockholm. 



1. Moraba longirostris n. sp. 



Thorax laevis; carinis mediana excepta nullis. Fastigium de 

 margine anteriore oculorum quam oculi distincte longius; antennae 

 19-articulatae, quam caput distincte longiores, caput supra a latere 

 visum rectum; cerci tuberculiformes, hirsuti. 



