Article beginning on page 291.
Psyche 8:291, 1897.

Full text (searchable PDF)
Durable link: http://psyche.entclub.org/8/8-291.html

The following unprocessed text is extracted from the PDF file, and is likely to be both incomplete and full of errors. Please consult the PDF file for the complete article.

PSYCHE.
ON THE OCCURRENCE OF DISsOsm/RA LONGIPBNNIS THOMAS. BY S. J. HUNTER.
Departnient of Entomology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Professor L, Bruner, in his report to
the Nebraska State Board of Agricul-
ture for 1896, says that though Dissos
teira . Zongipennis has been known to
entomologists for twenty-five years, it
has been classed among our rarer Acri-
didae until 1891. At this time he was
called upon to investigate its habits in eastern Colorado, where it had appeared
in large numbers. He afterwards speaks
of its habitat, and here we quote his
language.* "It is rather restricted in
its normal range, being found only upon
the plains of western Nebraska, Kansas,
southeastern Wyoming, eastern Colo-
rado, and northeastern New Mexico, at
an elevation of from 3,500 to 6,000 feet above sea level. It is also known to
occur, for the most part, upon the grav- elly slopes where vegetation is quite
sparse." Continuing his report to the
State Board of Agriculture, he states
that the insect has found its way east-
ward almost to the Missouri river in
Kansas and Nebraska.
*Report to Riley, under whose instructions investiga- tions were made. Bulletiu No. a8, Div. Ent. U. S. Dept. Agric., pp. 3'-39.
In the field work of this department
during the past summer, the writer had
occasion to give special attention to
grasshoppers. Di'steiyu longipennis
was occasionally seen in the territory
under observation, being in all thirteen counties situated between the 99th
meridian and the west line of the State. In Edwards county, six miles south of
Offerlie, however, this locust was
abundant in a portion of an alfalfa field of 320 acres. In bare spots, where no
alfalfa grew, more than a dozen insects
would take wing when disturbed and
fly in different directions for a short
distance. This was observed first on
July 6th. On September 1st females of
this species were seen ovipositing in
this field. It is the writer's opinion
that this colony was bred and reared
upon this ground.
In the latter part of September, 1897,
the writer captured a single female
three miles south of Lawrence in a
closely grazed pasture. In August,
1898, a student of this department took
two females upon the university campus.
On September 24th of this year the




================================================================================

292 PSYCHE. [December ~808.
writer found another specimen six miles
west of Lawrence in a strawberry patch
on a high hill overlooking Lake View.
In a letter upon this subject, Mr. S.
H. Scudder gives references to the cap-
ture of Dissosteira Zongz'pemis, in Texas ' (Boll), in Nebraska, "entire state "
(Bruner), in extreme western Kansas
(Osborn) , Barber Co., Kansas (Bruner).
He says farther: I have 34 refer-
ences to it in literature, but in none do I find a reference to its capture as far east as Lawrence," and thinks it improb- able that it has been reported as taken
this far east.
These notes are given in evidence of
what may be considered an eastward
tendency in the geographical range of
this insect.
NOTES ON NEW ENGLAND ACRIDIIDAE, IV, - ACRIDIINAE. - V. BY ALBERT P. MORSE, WELLESLEY, MASS.
41. Melanoplus extremus Walk.
Figs. 41, a.
Cahpemis extrenius. Walker, Cat.
Dermapt. Salt. Brit. Mus., IV, 681,
(1870).; Thomas, Syn. Acrid., 225.
Melanoplus jtmius. Morse, List, I 06.
' extremus. Scudder, Rev.
Melanopli, 287, pi. xviii, fig. 10.
Measurements from 62 3, 82 9 :-
Antenna: w.5-9 ; 9, 6-8. H. fem.:
f, 9.4-11.2; 9, 10-12.6. Teg.: 3,
9.5-16 ; 9 , 10-18. Body: 3, 15-19 ;
9, 15.5-24. Total: 8, 15-22 ; 9,
16-24. Teg. vs. 13. fern. : 8, -3 to -/- 3 ; ?, -4 to + 3.
A very variable species.
In the fresh
state its general coloring - a peculiar
olive with blackish markings - is very
appreciable and of service in recogni-
zing it, though the long-winged female
is liable to be mistaken for femur-ru-
lirum. While tegmina of every length
between the extremes given are to be
found, most of the specimens observed
fall into two series, a short- and a long- winged. In the former the tegmina
usually fall about 2 mm. short of the
end of the hind femora; in the latter
pass them by 2 or 3 mm. ; - the names
junius and scandcns respectively have
been applied to these by Scudder. Of
the specimens now in my collection (a
number having been disposed of through
exchanges) about one-eighth of the
females and two-thirds of the males are
long-winged (scandens). The long-
winged form seems to be more preva-
lent in high latitudes and at high ele-
vations. In point of size also the
species varies much according to local-
ity, specimens from Winchendon, Mass.,
(800-1200 ft.) being noticeably larger
than those from the summit of Mt.




================================================================================