This is one of the most difficult genera of Rhynchophora to separate into species. Typical specimens have the elytra, prothorax and base of the head up to the eyes red, while the rest of the body is black.
STUDIES OF NORTH AMERICAN WEEVILS—
Thorax very short, more than twice as wide as long, distinctly and coarsely but rather sparsely pointed; elytra globose with stress consisting of. The smooth bill and double row of spines at the tip of the posterior tibia easily separate it.
STUDIES
A squamous coat intermixed with recumbent bristles; support for. the deciduous piece of the mandible is not prominent; alternate elytral intervals slightly more convex; abdominal scales squamous; nasal plate ill-. The nasal plate in this species is bare, concave, and crescent-shaped, or at least ridged at the base.
NORTH AMERICAN WEEVILS—
Head and beak roughly punctured and tubercular; beak longer than the head and separated from it by a broad transverse depression;.
885 MELAMOMPHUS LUTEUS Horn
Funicular joint extended; large species usually more than 8mm.long. bK Elytra sparsely but strongly tuberculate throughout, the sutural prominence on the apex of the apical decay very pronounced; anterior tibiae. denticulate tumidusCasey. . b^. Elytranottuberculosis. . c^ Sutural prominence of very slow or weak. Terminal spur of posterior tibiae very small, almost obsolete; body narrowly elongated at least in male; antcnnalscape very long and slender, slightly beyond the posterior margin of the eye; anterior tibiae strongly denticulate. . e^. Legs black, anterior femoraddistinctly elongated in the male. . discourseCasey,. e-. Legs red, the anterior femoranot elongated in the male. . sculptilisCasey.
NORTE AMERICAN WEEVILS— PIERCE. 387
Described from two specimens collected June 6-7 at North Bend, British Columbia (Hubbard and Schwarz collection). Beak but a little longer than the head, from which it is separated by a shallow transverse depression; the coat is densest on the crown, sparsest on the tip of the beak; setae line and recumbent; surface very coarsely ridged punctate; nasal plate weakly defined, crescentic. Scrobes subterminal, deep and sharply defined at apex, but fading behind; shell almost reaching posterior margin of eyes;
Anterior and median tibiae denticulate, anterior and posterior tibiae strongly bent near apex, all tibiae. Beak but slightly longer than head, from which it is separated by a shallow transverse depression; vestiture closest to vertex, sparse at apex of bill; setae sparse, fine, recumbent. Scrobes subterminal, deep and sharply defined at apex, but evanescent posteriorly; scape reaching posterior margin of eyes; funicularjoints oblong, the first and second longest, seventh longer than sixth; club narrow, pointed, longer than the last two webs.
NORTH AMERICAN WEEVILS— PIERCE. 389
The following table is taken entirely from Colonel Casey's treatment of the genus, and is included merely to complete the present series of tables for this tribe. Thorax and elytra covered with pierced tubercles; beak extended;. d\ Bekfine sulcate; cable joints elongated, setose; nasal plate ogival, strongly depressed medially, apically angularly projecting; elytra. intervals, only alternately tubercular gemmatus LeConte. Even elytra! intervals with a few setae near apical decay; funicle setose, first two joints elongated, others uniform; nasal plate broadly ogival, bordered, concave, apically slightly bordered erinaceusSay .. d^. Evenelytra! intervals without outer stems; funicle setose, all joints longer than wide, nasal plate ogival, bordered, strongly medial depressed, apical . angular-marginate alternatus Schaeffer.
First two cable joints elongated, others uniform; prothorax finely impressed on midline; nasal plate ogival, bordered, concave, deeply rounded margin ... abruptusCasey. This species is especially remarkable for the loss of the th^d or fourth ventral segment in the female, which is also much more robust than the male. Httle areas of scaly vestiture bordering the inner edges of the eyes are the only conspicuous areas of vestiture on the head or bill.
Elytra oval, with rounded humeri; interspaces aU tuberculate with flat shining tubercles each punctured beliind, with a small seta in each puncture; strial punctures very shallow; scales placed chiefly in the humerus fasciae extending obliquely back to the middle of the elytral suture, and m an apical fascia extending transversely from near the suture to the sides at the apex of the apical decllivity, and then along the sides to the apex. The beak longer than the head, the sides gradually broadening into alae, which are quite prominent; nasal plate ogival,. Head and bill irregularly punctate, bill with a very shining smooth central carina, which is grooved and lumpy at the tip and hovers between the eyes; lateral carinae apparent but densely squamose; occiput covered with flat brownish scales, but from upper margin of eyes to triangular area enclosed by forks of median carina, vestitude densely composed of straw-colored, striate scales and sparser setae; the apical triangular area is smooth and includes the nasal plate.
397 wider than the striae; striae not impressed, punctures rounded, dis-
Elytra with rounded humerules; the sides are parallel at half their length; about three-quarters longer than wide; intervals convex but not varying in convexity wider than streaks; striae fine, impressed, the dots small, distant in proportion to their diameter, each filled with a scale; surface densely covered with brown scales, mottled with straw scales, especially on sides and in slope; brushes elongated, brown. Beak longer than head, gradually increasing in width to alae; nasal plate definedab}''anoal margin, basally truncate and notched, concave. Head and beak strongly wrinkled punctate, separated by a deep, broad, arched impression; beak strongly carinate, with a large apical triangular, glabrous, punctate area containing the nasal plate; surface densely squamous with scaly scales, darker at the vertex and sparsely set with curved bristles.
Scabies deep, visible from above along entire length, with close eyes; appearance reaching middle of eye, squamous and setose; funicle oblong, glabrous, slightly compressed, all nodes longer than wide; needle oval, slightly longer than the two preceding nodes. Elytra ^vith humeri minutely angulate; slightly convex sides; over one and a half longer than wide; the convex intervals, the alternate ones noticeably a little more;. The nasal plate is very large, the raised margma starts at the lateral corners of the beak and forms a wide ogival area which is
First segment of antennal funicle longer than the two subsequent segments; basal thoracic constrictions short and weak; anterior tibiae straight on inner margin almost to tip; nasalplateinvisible simplariusFall. Beak separated from head by distinct transverse impressions; alternate slightly elevated intervals; plain color grey; Nasal plate short and very broadly triangular, very shallowly arched. Antennal funicle 6-jointed; head and beak in front of eyes concave; nasal plate with marginal margin, convex, basal margin rotundicUisFald.
STUDIES NORTH AMERICAN WEEVILS— PIERCE. 403
The writer can find no structural differences between the specimens from these two widely separated localities. In the Washington series there are still some specimens with a six-jointed funicle awaiting examination, and from the identical localities from Avhicn the species with a seven-jointed funicle was taken. The three intermediate segments of the abdomen are similar, separated from each other and from the first by straight sutures Blosyrini, new tribe.
The name of this remarkable new genus is derived from yXacfiupbg. cavity) + [ikxamov (forehead, frons), which implies that fronsishol-. Rostrum short but slightly longer than head, nearly as long as long, trisulcate; nasal plate triangular, glabrous; Visible scratches from the top tip, with a strong arch passing below the eyes. The unusual appearance of this insect has led me to call it ornithodorus, which means a gift from birds.
A short carina runs from the apex of this plate, but soon merges into a sulcus in the middle, which is very deep and extends to the transverse depression of the front. The upright scales are arranged in a row at each interval, but are clustered forward of the center in many places. It was proposed that Lachnopus would take the place of this much-discussed name, and therefore has the same.
409 Genus SCYTHROPUS Schonherr (1826)
Originally six species were included in the genus, from which Leach incanus selected Lmnseus as the type. Schonlierr designated fritillum Panzer.. robinise, Herbst) as the type Thylacites in 1826, and in 1833 he named catarractus (cataractes). The latter species belongs to the genus Cycloderes of Sahlberg (1823), which therefore takes the place of Schonherr's erroneously named genus Thylacites.
412 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. voi, .. dK Antennsestout, last joined offunicleshort, wide, and still close toclub;. Gense feebly emarginate; fore tibiae not toothed internally, but with a row of sharp spines; Second abdominal segment not longer than. The three species placed by Sharp in Bradyrhynchufi are placed by Champion in the genus Epagrius Schonlierr.
A careful examination of seven species placed in Epagrius by Champion (not Epagrius Sharp, which Champion names Epagriopsis) reveals two types of eyes. Sharp with an evenly convex e^^e and no constriction of the head behind the eyes. However, contridus and rugicollis have a deep constriction behind the eyes, which are strongly convex and sharply truncated posteriorly.
NORTH AMERICAN WEEVILS— 413 BRADYRHYNCHOIDES CONSTRICTUS, new species
Elytral atrial punctures very large, much wider than the intervals; beak median broad-impressed, subsulcate; pronotal punctations minute, with few large depressions, median line broadly impressed; scales rust of color mexicanus Bohemia. Beak smooth on midline, but with two broad sulci on sides; frontal puncture round, small or moderate. Ray points round, deep and almost as wide as the intervals; all cable joints longer than wide, seventh joint shortest; elytral vestiture distinctly iasciate.imbricatusSay.
Bill broadly impressed on midline; fourth, fifth and sixth cable joints, about as wide as long, moniliform; seventh longer; elytral garb one-colored, grayish wickhami, new species. Seventh cable car connection barely or no longer than the sixth; center line barely indicated; elytra about half longer than wide; length. Scutellum transverse, broadly oval; frontalfovea small, round; bill smooth on midline; cable connections elongated, seventh shortest; robe fasciate benjamini, new species.
A series of smaller individuals with somewhat smaller ray tips are on hand from Arkansas (taken on strawberry, June 11), and Texas. Beaked head, as wide as long, not separated in front by a depression; nasal plate broad, ogival, deeply arched rounded, smooth, concave, bordered; fovea small, round; median area very wide and shallowly impressed;. Prothorax finely pointed, rough-footed; densely squamous, with white median and lateral fasciae; median line famtly impressed.
OF NORTH AMERICAN WEEVILS— 417
Of the six specimens of Doctor Chittenden's typical material before the author in 1909, one of the United States National Museum was presented to Mr. Antennae with an image that exceeded the eyes; cableways all longer than wide, the second link longer than the first and longer than the two following. The nasal plate is triangular but very deeply emarginate and looks more like viridisthan or elegans.
In this species, the wear of strial punctures also differs in individual series. The only American genus is Trigonoscuta Motschulsky, which has the articular surfaces of the hind tibiae strongly cavernous and scaly. The type of the genus is ligusticiLinnseus, which was designated on the basis of echmination by Latreille (1807) and Bedel (1881).
Beak with a finely curved groove between the front parts of the eyes;. scrobes lateral, rather narrow, deep anteriorly, gradually disappearing, weakly arcuate, directed to or nearly reaching the eyes Panormus Casey. Antennal scape long and slender, clearly extending beyond the anterior margin of the prothorax; eyes large; second segment next to the two.
UNIDENTIFIED BRACHYKHINID GENUS
