1983] 
Burnham — Geraridae 
35 
Gerarus hruesi 
Figures 1 8 and 19 
Archaeacridites hruesi Meunier I909a:39. 
Sihenaropoda hruesi Handlirsch 1919:39. 
Description 
Fore wing: length 45 mm (as preserved, estimated as 48 mm), 
width 15 mm; SC terminating in apical third of wing, at C; R 
parallel to C, connecting to it apically by several cross veins; RS 
branching twice, each branch forking once distally; M expanded, 
with five main branches; CUA four-branched, fusing with M at its 
base; CUP elbowed towards CUA, connecting to the latter by a 
strong cross vein; anal veins present; well-developed reticulation 
present in area basal to CUA. 
Hind wing: unknown. 
Diagnosis 
This species is based on a single, but almost perfectly preserved, 
fore wing from Commentry. Meunier originally described bruesi 
and assigned it to the genus Archaeacridites because he felt that this 
species was in some way ancestral to the extant Acrididae (order 
Orthoptera). While the relationships of the Protorthoptera (including 
the Geraridae) to the true Orthoptera have yet to be resolved, 1 do 
believe that synonymy of Archaeacridites with Gerarus is warranted. 
1 have studied the holotype, and can find no characters to justify 
separate generic status for this species. However, I do think that 
species separation is warranted on the basis of CUA which connects 
to M only by a cross vein and does not anastomose with it as in G. 
fischeri. The nature of CUA in G. bruesi is much more reminiscent 
sc 
Fig. 18. Gerarus hruesi, drawing of fore wing, based on holotype no. IP 20. 
