ON THE SPECIES OF SPHENOPHORUS RELATED TO PER- TINAX

50 SOCIETY

ON THE SPECIES OF SPHENOPHORUS RELATED TO PER- TINAX

OL.,

WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF OTHER FORMS.

By

^F.

H. CHITTENDEN,

^Sc.

^D.

The

seriesof descriptions of

new

_{species of}

Sphenophorus

pre-

sented

in this

paper

^{were, for}

^the most

_part,

_prepared

in

the spring

of 1903.

Before the main work on

thisgenus,

which

it is

contemplated

^will

be

in

the form

of

an

illustrated_revision,

could be _completed,

_{press of}

other more _imperative

^duties

^caused

^its

almost complete abandonment. As a consequence ^the

^writer

has not found ^time

^to

bring together

^allof

the matter

desired to

be _presented on

this topic.

The _{present paper}

^isin

continua-

tion of

two others published

ⁱⁿ

Volume IV

of

the Proceedings,

pp.

128-137, which treated

of species hitherto

considered

as

simplex LeConte and

_placidus

_Say,

respectively. ^Its presenta- tion for

publication

^{at this}

time

is

made necessary because

^of

the

desirability of

returning material which _{has kindly} been loaned by ^various

institutions

and

private collectors ^forstudy,

and because

it

cannot now be

foretold

when opportunity

^will offer for

the completion

^of

the monographic work

_originally

planned. This preliminary

article will

be followed by ^one

^or

more additional contributions

^as

rapidly

^as

opportunity

^offers.

As with the

several species

that have been

_generally

_placed

in collections as placidus

Say, we

find

that

_pertinax ^Ol. _readily

separates

into several

undescribed forms

in

addition

to

those which were named _by

Dr.

Horn

in his

paper on ^{the Curcu-}

lionidae of

the United States published

ⁱⁿ

1873

(Proc.

Amer.

Philos. _{Soc., vol.}

xin,

1873, pp.

417-421.) The

_{species of} this

group may ^be characterized

as follows:

PERTINAX

group.

Rostrum

arcuate, fromthree-fourthstothe

same

_lengthasthe thorax, considerablydilated at base, channeled, interocularpuncture^atbaseter- minating^{in a}finelyimpressed^line

beyond

^thescrobes.

Thorax

_usuallydistinctly trivittate,occasionally subobsoletely^so(abrasus

and

maidis); vittae entire,subequalⁱⁿlength

and

width,

median

notforked anteriorly,extendingnearly or quitefrom apex^{tobase; lateralvitta}with anouterbranch extending from^{near the}middle_nearlytothebase.

Elytral^intervalsunequalⁱⁿwidth,

and

_varyingin convexity.

Third_{joint of}anteriortarsiabouttwice(i. e.,

more

or_less)aswideasthe firstjoint; of the middle pair perceptiblynarrower than the anterior; of the posteriorpairone-sixthtoone-halfwider than thefirstwithoccasion- ally slightindividual variation in the

same

_species. For convenienceof referencethis

may

^beexpressedⁱⁿ the following formula: ^ant.2-j-J mid.

2-2; post.

$-.

OF WASHINGTON. 51

The sexual characters

are

strongly developed,

especially ⁱⁿ

the

cT of

many

^forms.

^Thus,

ⁱⁿ

ludomcianus the metasternum and

first

abdominal segment

^{are as}

deeply and _widely concave

asin /the (zqualisor ochreus

group. The

species are

mostly

large,

from

three-eighths of

an inch

in

length

^to

double that

size.

Rostrum

subcylindrical, slightlynarroweratextreme_base,angles rounded.

Elevated ^intervals irregular

and

interrupted; unelevated intervals interrupted

by

elevated shining black ^areas. Second abdominal segments^ofc?withouttransversebrushofsetae.

Thoracicvittae distinct.

Lower

surface coarsely punctate. Ventralconcavity^ofcT

mod-

erately deep;

metasternum

with tuft of long, sparse, fine hairs nearly covering each side of posterior ^{half. Tibiae} sparsely fimbriatewithshortbristle-like hairs. U.S.,

pertinax^Olivier.

Lower

^surface

more

_finely punctate. Ventral concavityof c^

more

shallow;

metasternum

with a few minute hairs each side along posterior margin. ^Tibiae densely fimbriate with

long^{hairs. Cal.,}Nev.,Ore typha,^{n. var.}

Thoracicvittaesubobsolete. Cal _abrasus,n.sp.

Rostrum

moderately, subequally compressed, posterior angles ^of apex acute orsubacute. scarcely produced.

Thoracic vittaewith curved orsinuousoutlines.

Second abdominal segment ^{of c?}witha short transverse brush of

brown

setae;

metasternum

of cT with a lateral

row

of shortsetaeeach side in concavity.

Elytramostly

opaque

gray;

odd

intervalsconvex, black

and

shining; even ones thickly coated, ^flat except a narrow,

more

orlessdistinctlyelevated,

smooth

black

median

line.

Rostrum

aboutthree-fourths as long as thorax.

E. U. S setiger, n. sp.

Elytramostlyshining black; evenintervalsnearly^asconvex

and

_prominentas

odd

ones.

Rostrum

as long as, or five-sixths the length ^of, the thorax. _La.,

Tex

ludomcianus,^n.sp.

Elytra, excepthumeri

and

basal elevated portions^offirst

and

sometimes third _intervals, covered with natural thick ochraceous_coatingwhich extendsto thesides. Otherin- tervalssubequal.

Body

^{slender. Fla.,}peninsularis,n. sp.

Elytra with natural thin subsericeous gray coating, black linesbetweenthestrialpunctures.

Body

^{robust,rostrum}

shorter. Mich. Cal robustus Horn.

Rostrum

stronglycompressedat apicalfourth orfifth,

and

suddenly bent backward,anterior faceofapex^flator slightlyconcave, posteriorangles obtuse. Thoracicvittae subparallel.

Elytral ^intervalsalternately black or coated.

Thoracic vittse moderately curved, nearly straight, moderately separated. Elytral^intervalsi,3, 5,

and

7long,broad

and

^costi- form, black

and

_shining; 2, 4, 6,

and

8narrower, withdistinct alutaceous _coating. Scutellum _elongate, concave. Anterior faceof apex ^of rostrum

more

orless concave. First ventral segment^{of c?} with small densetuft of

brown

setaeeach side,

sometimes

much

abraded, metasternum sometimes with afew scattering^setae. E. U. S.

and

N.

W

costipennis

Horn

.

Thoracic vittaelesselevated, feeblycurved

and

sinuous. Inter- vals _{i, 3,} 5,

and

₇ with elevated portions narrower; elevated portionof 3

and

₅ short

and

narrowed apically, of 7 ^still nar- rower or wanting. Scutellum flat, deltoid. Anterior face of apex ^of rostrum flat or feebly concave. Ventral segments ⁱ

and

2ofcJ

1

nearlyuniformlysparselyvillous, lastwith_longhairs.

Mass., N. Y.,Va., D.

C

mllosi-ventris, n. sp.

Elytral^intervalsallblack

and

_polished.

Thoracic vittae

more

curvedor sinuous, wider

and

lessdistinctly separated. Elytral^intervalswith alternatewidest ones

mod-

erately elevated, narrowerones nearly ^orquite naked. Scu- tellum _elongate, concave. First ventral segment

and

meta- sternumof cT withlateraltufts of

brown

setae. Utah,

l&mgatus,^n.sp.

Rostrum

_{strongly,subequallycompressed}throughout, anterior^{face of}apex deeplyconcave, posterior angles acutely produced.

Thoracic vittae subobsolete, frequently confluent anteriorly.

Lower

surface scarcely ^less strongly punctate ^{at the} middle thanatthesides.

First ventral segment ^ofcT feebly concave. Kans., Ala.,

S.

C

maidis, ^n. sp.

Sphenophorus pertinax

^Olivier.

Calandra _{pertinax Olivier,}

Entom.

Hist. Nat. des Insectes, v,No. _83,

p. 90,pi. 28,fig. 417, 1807.

Sphenophoruspertinax Gyllenhal, ⁱⁿSchonherr's Gen.et Sp. Cure.,iv, p. 938, 1837; Horn,^Proc.

Am.

Phil. Soc.,pp. 418, 419, 1873.

Sphenophorus ^truncatus Say, Descr. N. A. Cure., p. 22, 1831; Compl.

Writings, Lee. Ed., i,p. 288.

Sphenophorus^?canaliculatus

Boheman,

ⁱⁿSchonherr'sGen. etSp. Cure.,

vm,

2, p. 253, 1845.

Length 11-15 mm., ^width

4.2-5. 5

mm.

This

_speciesis correctly

named

in

most

collections,

although

it

frequently happens ^{that the}

^label

specimen

^is quite other- wise, ^e. g.,

ludomcianus. The

outline illustration of

the

ros-

trum

_{(fig. 10, a),}

which

is

about

four-fifths

the length

^of

the

OF WASHING TON. 53

FIG. 10. Outline viewsoftherostruminSphenophorus: a,pertinax;

b, ludcrvicianus; c, costipennis; d, maidis; e,"villosiven- tris allgreatlyenlarged(original).

thorax,will facilitate its

separation from

_speciesJ

with which

it is confused, costipennis

among

^others.

The

distribution

extends from New York _City

to

Utah, but southward the

_typical

form does not appear

^to

have been

collected

beyond ^the

^Districtof

^Columbia.

^{It is}

^a very com-

mon

_species

^and

occasionally injurious to corn.

With

erstwhile varieties

eliminated

as _species, pertinax ^still exhibits

considerable

^variation.

The _merely

colorational

va-

rieties are scarcely

worth

indicating.

Some _specimens have the

_general color dull rufous,

with the

vittae

and

_alternate intervals less distinctly elevated.

Var.

australis, new

_variety.

Larger thantypicalpertinax,with_slightlylonger rostrum. Surface coat- ing

more

_dense, ochraceous, gray-brown or cinereous. Median thoracic vittanarroweratbasethanatapex, ⁱⁿwhich_respectitdiffersfrom typha whichitgreatly resembles. Thirdelytral intervalsobsolete or interrupted^. in apical halformore, ^{fifthstillshorter}

and more

interrupted. Mesepi- sternum normallycompletelycoveredwith_coating,but becoming abraded with_age.

New

Orleans, La.,

October

26 (Soltau)^;

"Louisiana," July

10,

1873

(C.

V.

_Riley);

Arizona (i$

so labeled, possibly

by

error)^.

Type ^No.

^8220,

^U.

^S.

^National Museum.

Cinereous-coated

individuals are

from Texas _(Roberts) and western Kansas _(Popenoe).

The

writer is

disposed

^to

consider

this

form

as

a geographi-

cal race.

Var. typhae, new

_variety.

Of similar appearance ^to variety australis; moderately shining black, with sparser^dullochraceous_coating. Thoracicvittaelesselevated, wide;

median

atbaseaswideorwiderthanatapex^; suddenly

and

_widelydilated just in front of middle, sometimes _contiguous to the lateral. Elytral intervals withthe third

and

fifthat least three-fourths shiningblack,^all unelevated intervals with small elevated _areas, mostly^{at the sides, co-}

alescingwith the largerelevatedones. Tibiae densely fimbriatewith_long hairs.

cT. Ventral concavity shallowerthanin pertinax,

more

sparselypunc- tate,puncturesshallow along the middle; metasternum withafewminute hairseachsidealong posteriormargin; ^firstabdominal segmentapparently withouthairs.

California:

Los Angeles (Koebele)

^;

Long Beach, July;

^S.

Monica and _Riverton, May 24

(Fall);

Reno, Nev., July

²

(Wickham).

Type. No.

_8221,

U.

S.

National Museum.

Reared from

roots of

Typha

latifolia,

September,

1886, at

Los Angeles by Mr. Albert Koebele.

I

have _designated

this

form

as

a

variety, since there ^is

some doubt

of its specific distinctness. It is certainly entitled to racialrank,

or might more _properly be

classed as

a

subspecies.

Sphenophorus abrasus, new

_species.

Form

likethatof pertinax,with whichitcloselyagreesⁱⁿ

many

^charac-

terswhich_{will,therefore,}notbe_repeated; colormoderatelyshiningblack, with dark gray^alutaceouscoating,verysparse, visibleonthethorax_only at thesides

and

atmiddle ofbase

and

inportions^oftheelytral intervals.

Rostrum

two-thirdsaslong as thorax, feeblypunctate even^{at base.} Tho- rax,except a smallstrip at sides

and

_{a very}small spaceeachendofmiddle, whichare coarsely punctate, nearlyuniformly smooth, sparsely

and

_finely punctulate; ^vittsestronglyconfluent, nearly obsolete, surface having^the appearance^ofbeing abraded. Elytral^intervalsalternateinwidth,butless inconvexity,discal ones,2,4,

and

sometimes6,

more

covered withelevated black areasthanwithgrayalutaceous deposit^; 7

and

sometimes6lesscon-

vex and more

_nearlycoveredwith_deposit.

Lower

surfaceverysparsely, finely

and somewhat

indistinctly punctate, scarcely

more

coarselyonlast segment.

d\

Ventral concavity shallow, as in typha; apex ^of pygidium

more

roundedat sides; anterior

and

middlefemorasparsely fimbriateoninner surface; posteriorfemorasubglabrous.

9^.

Abdominal

surface very finely

and

_{sparsely punctate; pygidium} with apex

more

_narrowed,sides distinctlycurved_inward; anteriorfemora nearly glabrous, posterior glabrous; middlefemora with very minute^short hairs.

Length¹²

mm.,

^width4.5

mm.

California _(itf,

i$,

^Coll.

Roberts).

Type. No.

_8222,

U.

S.

National Museum. _{Types kindly} presented by ^Mr.

^C.

^{H. Roberts.}

More _nearly

related to pertinax

than

to _typhtz,

and

_quitedis- tinct

from

either

by the nearly

^{obsolete vittae}

which

are

more

strongly confluent

than

in

extreme forms

of

ludomcianus

or maidis.

OF WASHINGTON. 55

Sphenophorus

setiger,

new

_species.

Similar to ludomcianus, butsmaller

and

proportionately

more

robust.

General color black, with cinereous or gray-brown ^alutaceous coating.

Rostrum

_shorter, three-fourthsto four-fifths as long as thorax, otherwise scarcely^different. Elytra

more

_nearlyopaque than shining; ^striae

more

distinct;intervalsunequalⁱⁿwidth

and

convexity, smaller (even)^intervals lessdeveloped,

and

variableinconvexity; elevated shining black portions as follows: 2 athin, slightlyinterrupted ^{line halfas}long as ^i; 4 a^little wider

and

_longer; 6 shortorwanting; sometimes i, 3

and

5are the only intervalsthat areblack.

Lower

^surfacelessstrongly punctate.

cT.

Rostrum

alittleshorter

and more

_slender,thorax_scarcelynarrower anteriorly than in $; ventral concavity deep

and

_broad;

metasternum

witha

row

ofshort

brown

setaejustwithin thelateralmargin, afewminute

setae each side of the first abdominal _segment, second with a transverse brush oflonger dark ochraceous hairs. Fossaof last ventralsegment ^of variable depth, usually

more

shallowthaninludomcianus.

$^. Scarcelylargerthanthe male, otherwise^{as in}ludomcianus,whichis trueof

most

otherobviouscharactersthathave not beendescribed.

Length 10.0-12.5

mm.,

^width 4.0-5.2

mm.

Highland, N.

J.,

July

²

(Chittenden)

^;

"N.

_J.;" Ithaca,

N. Y.

(Chittenden)

^;

Massachusetts (Ulke)

^;

Burlington,

^Vt.

(Rob-

erts);

Coney

Island,

N. Y. _(Roberts)

_;

"N. Y.

;"

Maryland and

District of

Columbia _(Ulke)

; Virginia

Beach,

Va.,

July

¹⁶

(Hub- bard and _Schwarz)

_;

Pennsylvania

^;

Iowa

; Illinois (Ulke)^;

"Dakota"

_(Ulke);

Texas.

Type. No.

_8223,

U.

S.

National Museum.

Sphenophorus ludovicianus, new

_species.

Ofthe

same

form as pertinax, but_larger, withallelytral intervalsblack

and

convex. General color polished black, with a natural ochraceous alutaceous coating which covers the thoracic interspaces, elytral striae, inner surfaceofthe_tibiae,thepygidium,

and

the_largerpunctured^areas.

Head

finely sparsely punctulate.

Rostrum

the

same

_length as, or scarcely shorter than, thethorax,slender,moderately^{dilated atbase}

and

at apex, moderately compressed, a^little

more

strongly^atthe apex, moder- ately arcuate,

more

_distinctlytoward_apex; surface_finelypunctulate, at base

more

_coarsely

and

distinctly; base_distinctlychanneled withdistinct interocular puncture, thewhole forminga lanceolate depression terminat- ing apicallyⁱⁿa shortimpressed^line.

Thorax

alittlelongerthanwide, strongly arcuate^atthe sides, moderately constrictedatapex, basal^halfsubparallelbut

somewhat

constrictedatex- treme _base; surface with three feebly or moderately elevated, entire, nearlysmooth, broad vittae;

median

vittastrongly

and

_suddenly dilated just infront ofmiddle, theapical halfforming^awide cuneiformortrian- gularspace,basalhalfnarrowertoward_base; lateralvittaenearly^aswide

atbasalhalf asthe dilatedportion^ofthemedian, rather feebly separated from the

median by

the foveate interspaces. Scutellum broadly, some- times feebly^sulcate.

Elytral ^striae distinctly punctate; ^intervals alternating ⁱⁿ width but equal ^ornearly equal ⁱⁿ convexity, surface smooth, shining, faintly, mi- nutely, and sparsely punctulate.

Pygidium

coarsely

and

_{stronglypunc-}

tate, clothedwithshort_bristlyreddishhairs, becoming

more

densetoward theapex and forming^tuftsatthesides; apex^truncateinbothsexes.

Lower

^surface coarsely, sparsely punctate ^{at the} sides; second, ^third fourth,

and

anteriorhalf of lastabdominal segments faintlypunctulate^at middle. Legsfinelypunctulate.

d\

Body ^more

^{slender, thorax narrower} anteriorly; rostrum

more

slender, just perceptibly shorterand with apex^lessacute. Metasternum

and

firstabdominal segment deeply broadly concave^atmiddle,with_{a long}

row

of short

brown

bristly hairseach sidewithin the concavity; second abdominal concave on the anterior portion with the

more

elevated portion perfectlycurved

and

_bearing atits

summit

a transverse brushof darkbristly hairs; last segment^alsoconcave, forming between^itsmiddle

and

the posterior margin^adeep^ormoderately deep^fossa, coarselypunc- tate _interiorly

and

with a

row

of smaller punctures near the posterior margin.

9^. Metasternum_{slightlyconcave,}

abdomen

_convex,lastsegmentnearly flatatapex.

Length, ^cT 11-14

mm.,

$ 15-16

mm.;

^width4.5-6.0

mm.

New

Orleans,La.,

March n,

14,

October

26 (Soltau);

"Louis- iana;" Texas. The geographical

distributionis

evidently

^limi-

ted

to

the Gulf

_region,

and the

center of greatest

abundance

is

probably

ⁱⁿ

the western Gulf

States

near the seaboard.

Type. No.

_8224,

U.

S.

National Museum.

Distinct

from

all

other

_{species of}

the genus on ^account

^ofits

longer rostrum

_(fig. 10, 6),

and from

related species

by

^itssub-

equally convex

_elytral intervals. It is

the

_largest

North American

_species

outside

of

the

_(Equalis

group.

Say's

description of pertinax ^fits this species, as well as

the true

pertinax ofOlivier,

but

hisinterstitialisisdifferent,

nor does Horn's

interpretation of

Say's

^{interstitialis}apply, since

the

latter states

that the body ^beneath

^is as coarsely

punctured

^at

^the

sides as at

the middle.

Sphenophorus peninsularis, new

_species.

Form

similar to_setiger,but_distinctly

more

slender. General colorblack

and

with an abundantclay-colored naturalcoating covering alargeportion ofthe dorsal

and

ventralsurfaces. Itcovers the_apicalconstriction except atransverse band, narrower than_{the head,} which_joinsthe

median

_vitta,

alsothe_elytra,except thehumeri

and

anteriorhalf ofthe sutural

and

third elytral intervals.

OF WASHINC4TON. 57

Rostrum

fully five-sixths as long ^asthe thorax, ^at apexslightly

more

dilated,

and

_{slightlysubacutely}produced onthe posterior^face. Thoracic

vittaeaboutas in_setigerbut

more

_widelyseparated, posterior third^of

me-

dian very^narrow. Elytrawithout_{subapicalcallosity,} striaefinelypunc- tate, intervals feebly convex except anterior ^{half of} sutural

and

_third, which area little

more

_prominent.

Lower

^surface _subopaque or feebly shining, faintly, rather coarselypunctate^{in thoracic} region,

more

_faintly

inabdominal_region. Natural _coating completelycovering the mesepi- sternum, metepisternum

and

metepimeron,^{sides ofthe}

metasternum and

posterior portions ^ofthe abdominal _segments.

Length14

mm.,

^width4.8

mm.

Jacksonville, ^Fla.

One

$

and one imperfect specimen, a do- nation

to

the National

collection

by

^Dr.

Wm. H. Ashmead.

Type. No.

_8227,

U.

$.

National Museum.

Sphenophorus ^{robustus Horn.}

Sphenophorus^robustusHorn, ^Proc.

Am.

Phil. Soc., pp. 419,420, 1873, Mostclosely allied to setiger

and

peninsularis, butof

more

robust form,

and

differing also

by

^the

more

arcuate rostrum,whichisalittle

more

com- pressed

and

truncateattheapex withthe inner or posterior angle^acute.

The

thoracic vittaeare

more

elevated;

median

vitta distinctly dilated at middle, posterior portion broad

and

_attaining the _base, lateral vittae slightly sinuous internally, gradually from apex ^to base, lateral branch feeble. Elytrafinely, distinctly striate

and

_punctate; intervalsflat, sub- equal; surface evenly clothedwitha thin cinereousorplumbeous^subseri- ceous_coating.

c?. Ventral concavity feebly concave, nearly as coarselypunctate^asat thesides.

$^. Normal, with^ventralpunctures^smaller

and

_sparser.

Length ¹1-14

mm.,

^width4.5-5.5

mm.

This

_species

ranges from Indiana and Michigan through Wis-

consin,

Minnesota, and western Kansas

to California. It is

a northern form not occurring

ⁱⁿ

the

Hast.

Nothing appears

^to

be known

ofitshabits, references to robustus

and

its injuries to

corn being due

to

a

distinct_species,

my

^{5". maidis.}

Sphenophorus costipennis Horn.

SphenophoruscostipennisHorn, ^Proc.

Am.

Phil. Soc., p. 420, 1873.

Length, 7-12.5 mm.

;

width,

3-4.5

mm.

This

_species,

with mlloswentris

eliminated,

should be

_easily distinguished

by the characters furnished

in

the

table.

The

female

is

not

so readily separated.

In the

structure of

the

rostrum these two forms

exhibit

a very

slight difference.

The

average

^sizeis

a

little less

than

_pertinax.

There

^is

considerable

variation as

regards dimensions and

_color,

which, however, do

58

not

indicate

geographical

^races.

The rostrum

(fig. 10, c) is

somewhat

variable in contour.

The material examined shows

this to

be the most northern form

in

our

fauna. It

occurs commonly ^from the Atlantic

to

the

Pacific,

from Massachusetts through ^our most northern States and

_Ontario,

_Canada,

to

Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Kam-

loops, B. ^C.

Sphenophorus

villosiventris,

new

_species.

Form

similar to costipennis; blackwithhumeri, antennae,^tarsi

and some

other portions^of the _legs

and

of the ventral surface piceous or reddish;

surface coating brownish gray, subsericeous,

somewhat

dense, especially on_{apicalportionof elytra.}

Rostrum

_perfectlystraight inmiddlethree-fifths ofanteriorface,apical fifth suddenly

and

_strongly bent backward. Thoracic vittae moderately elevated, subparallel,

median

littlewidernear middle. Scutellumdeltoid, flat. Elytral ^striae closelypunctate; alternate ^intervalsnarrow, slightly elevated, thirdnarrowingⁱⁿposteriorhalf,vanishing before attaining the apex, ^{fifth striae} narrower

and

_shorter, seventh coated, apical tubercles inconspicuous, narrow.

Lower

surface with very ^shallow punctures.

Pygidium

^withlonger^hairsthanin costipennis.

6\ Metasterumscarcely concave,withafewscatteredsetae. Firstven- tralsegment moderatelyconcave, coarsely punctate, punctures with^short setiform _hairs, second abdominal _{finely punctate,} punctures with ^short

and

finer hairs, lastsegmentscarcely

more

_{coarselypunctate}atbasethan second_{to fourth,}with_longhairs.

$

.Does

_{not appear}todifferfromcostipennis

by any

sexual characters except^thoseofthepygidium.

Length, ^10-12

mm.,

width,3.7-4.4

mm.

Buffalo,

N. Y.

; Ithaca,

N. Y. (Chittenden)

^{; Ft.}

Monroe, ^Va.

(Hubbard and Schwarz)

^;

Long

^Island,

Massachusetts, Mary- land and the

District of

Columbia _(Ulke)

.

Type. No.

8225,

U.

S.

National Museum.

This

is

a most

_{peculiarspecies,}

_although

to

outward _appear- ance merely

costipennis

with weakly ^elevated

elytral intervals.

It

apparently combines the characters

of several _species,

having ^a

^similar

rostrum

(fig. 10, e) to Icevigatus, thoracic vittae

much

as in costipennis, elytra

between

peninsularis

and

setiger,

while the

hirsute cT

abdomen

is

very

^like

^that

^of

^the

(zqualis

orochreus group.

Sphenophorus laevigatus, new

_species.

Of similar form to costipennis, but _smaller,

more

_slender, about two- fifthsaslong as wide, and withelytral costae lessprominent. Colordeep shiningblack, antennae, tibiae

and

tarsi dark_piceous; alutaceous coating cinereous, very^thinand_sparselikeafinebloom, showing

more

orlessdis-

OF WASHINGTON. 59

tinctly betweenthe interspaces, feebly^atthe apices^of the_elytra,on the pygidium

and

inthe_largersurface punctures, often nearly wanting.

Head

_moderately sparsely finely but _distinctly punctulate.

Rostrum

three-fourths as long as the thorax, slender, strongly compressed, moder- ately dilated at base, a little stronger over the scrobes, gradually feebly dilated toward _apex; moderately arcuate,

more

_strongly

and

_nearly equally on the posterior margin; on the anterior surface protuberant ^at basal_fourth,nearlystraighton middlehalf

and more

stronglycurved

and

compressed^attheapicalfourth; apex roundedanteriorly,obtusely angled posteriorly; surface _finely sparsely punctulate; punctures larger

and

stronger ^at base, which is deeply narrowly channeled with interocular puncturewell defined.

Thorax

nearly one-fourth longerthan _wide, moderately constricted at apex, ^vittae broad, strongly elevated, ^entire, subparallel; lateral broadly branched; intervals coarsely, densely punctate, transverselysubrugoseⁱⁿ

some

individuals. Scutellum _elongate,broadly ^concave.

Elytra deeply striate, striae interrupted

by

moderately large rounded punctures, 20-24 on^thefirst

two

discal_striae; intervalsrather feebly^alter- nateinwidth

and

inconvexity, thefirst,third

and

fifthfinelyfeeblypunc- tulate, ^first

and

thirdbiseriately, ^fifthbiseriately onlyat base, the other intervals scarcely^less elevated, also polished black, distinctly

and

_finely

uniseriately punctate.

Pygidium

sparsely coarsely

and

_{deeplypunctate,} with short yellowish white hairs

and

with the usual _apical tufts pale yellowish.

cf^. Ventral surfacelesscoarselypunctate thanin costipennis; proster-

num

sparsely punctate, ^last segment

more

_coarsely.

Metasternum and

firstventralsegment broadlyfeebly concave,

metasternum

withafewshort dark

brown

hairs each side of the posterior margin, ^firstventral with a broadlongitudinal

row

eachside,convergingposteriorly.

9^. Ventral surface

much more

_finelypunctate, thepunctures very^fine

and

_sparseonthe prosternum

and

middleof thefirsttofourthabdominal segments.

The

sexesdo notdiffer in sizeoringeneral appearance.

Length, 10-11

mm.,

width,3.6-4.2

mm.

Salt

Lake

_City,

_{Utah, June}

14

(Hubbard and Schwarz).

Type. No.

_8230,

U.

S.

National Museum.

Readily distinguished from

costipennis

by the nearly

^total

absence

of

natural alutaceous

_coating,

the deeply punctate,

scarcely

costiform

_elytra, pale pygidial vestiture

and the

_larger tufted areas in

the ventral concavity

^of

the

cT.

Sphenophorus maidis, new

_species.

Body

^{two-fifthsaswideas}long, ofrobustappearance because^{ofthe sub-} quadrate thorax which^isnearly aswideas the_elytra; general^colorblack or_piceous,moderatelyshining; alutaceous depositonunelevated surfaces

ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY

inconspicuous, appearing ^to be normally dark ^{rufous or} piceous velvety

when

theextraneousargillaceouscovering doesnot_persist.

Rostrum

three-fifths the length ^of the thorax, considerably arcuate, strongly subequally compressed, apex prolonged ^{at the} posterior angle withanacute_spine, producing^theappearance^ofgreater curvature^ofthe inner _surface, base feebly protuberant, moderately dilated; anterior face ofapex broadlydeeplyconcave; surfaceminutelypunctate,

more

_distinctly

and

_denselyat base, basemoderatelydeeplychanneledwithdistinct deep interocularpuncture

and

shortimpressed^line.

Thorax

_longer than _{wide, fully} three-fourths as long ^as the _elytra, sides usually widest just infront of middle, anterior third suddenly

and

very strongly arcuate

and

constricted at apex, posterior two-thirds or three-fourths subparallel, or gradually narrowing ^{to the base} which is

feebly ^{bisinuate. Vittae} feebly elevated, tending toward obsolescence, moderatelyfinelybut _distinctly

and

_sparsely punctate,

more

_coarsely

and

densely^atthe ends;

median

vittaextending from ^{afine line}

and

_rapidly widening^toa pointjust infrontofthemiddlewhereitisbroadlydilated, then

more

abruptly narrowed, extending^{in a} narrowerline to near the base; lateral vittsesinuouswithatendency^to

become

confluent withthe

median

in the _apical half, generally a^little wider in basal half but nar- rower thanthe median, branch wide but ill-defined; interspaces

and

sur- face at sides coarsely foveate-punctate, punctures becoming ^confluent, especiallyposteriorly^atsides. Scutellum_deeplybroadly^concave.

Elytra^littlewiderthanthe thorax; ^striaeusuallydeep

and

well defined, distinctly closelypunctate; ^intervals with first, third

and

fifth elevated, with

two

or

more

series ofrowsof finepunctulation^{; first}or sutural with basal thirdtriseriately, posterior two-thirds biseriately punctulate; ^third widest

and most

elevated,with four or fiverows of fine punctulations;

fifthbiseriatelypunctulate; seventhlittleornotatall

more

elevatedthan the remainingintervals; intervals_{2, 4, 6, 8,} as also_7,

more

coarsely

and

closely uniseriately punctulate.

Pygidium

deeply, coarsely

and

rather sparsely punctate, with _sparse golden yellow ^hairs proceeding from the punctures

and

_forminga shorttufteach_side,frequently abraded.

Lower

surface coarsely

and

rather densely punctate, scarcely^lessstrongly at the middle than at the sides, punctureslargest at the middle of the metathorax. Punctures of the metepisterna (side pieces)

more

or less confluent. Second, third

and

fourthabdominal segmentsnearlyuniformly puncturedthroughout, ^likethe_legs.

<3\ First abdominal segment veryfeebly concave; pygidium ^truncate at apex.

. First ventral scarcely^different; pygidium narrowed

and

rounded at apex.

Aside fromthedifferentlyshaped pygidium

and

the_slightlyshorterand

lesscompressed rostrum^{thereis littledifference}betweenthesexes.

Length, 10-15

mm.,

width, 4.5-6.0

mm.

OF WASHINGTON. 61

Augusta, Kansas

_(E. L.

Williams); Riley

Co.,

Kans.

_{(P. J.}

Parrott); Florence,

Kans.

; Dadeville, Ala. _(S.

M. _Robertson)

;

Wetumka,

^Ala. (F. S. Earle);

Columbia,

^{S. C.} (L. O.

Howard)

^;

Ballentine, ^{S. C.} (J.

Duncan); Texas

(Ulke, ⁱ ex.);

"Mich."

(Knaus).

Type. No.

_8226,

U.

S.

National Museum.

A _very

_{injurious species,} destructive to

corn

in

both

larval

and adult

_stages in

the

localities given,

except Texas and Michigan.

Owing

^to

^the somewhat

_general

confusion

of

maidis with

robustus

and

_{pertinax, especially} in

economic

literature, ^it

has been included

in

the

table of

the

_pertinax

group, although

^it possesses quite

obvious characters which might

justify^its

remo-

val to

a

class

by

^itself.

Viewed from the

dorsal surface, ^it

bears a

_greater

resemblance

to scoparius

than

to

any ^other

species.

The rostrum

_(fig. 10,d) ^is

unique

^{in this}

group. In a natural arrangement ^the

^last

mentioned

_species

would

follow

together with

^cariosus,

each

constituting

a

distinct

group.

There

are

two

_{singular species}

which

so greatly

resemble others

of

the

_pertinax

group ^that they may properly be described

in this paper,

although

in reality

they do

not,

on account

of their tarsal characters, fall in

the same

class.

A

^third

_form,

which

_displays

no

_affinity to

any ^other group completes the

listof descriptions.

UNCLASSIFIED SPECIES.

Sphenophorus incongruus, new

_species.

Superficial appearance ^of costipennis,

more

slender, black with _light ochreous_coating, covering thoracicinterspaces,elytra except three^inter- vals

and

fourcallosities,the_largerpunctures onsides,

and

themesepimera.

Rostrum

two-thirds the length ^of the thorax, moderately ^arcuate

and

compressed, a^little

more

_stronglyatbasal

and

apical fourths,anteriorface of apex flat, posterior face suddenly bent forward, interocular puncture distinctlyrounded, producinga strongly obtuseangle.

Thorax

one-fourth longer than wide, posterior two-thirds subparallel.

Vittaepolishedblack, narrow, moderatelyelevated, continuous, subparal-

lel

;

median

slightly dilated infrontofmiddle; lateralaswideinbasalhalf as

median

wheredilated, atwhich _pointthey^arenarrow withstrong cur- vatureonthemedial_{(?) side,} branch_feeblyindicated. Interspaces wide.

Scutellum_polished,deeply^concave.

Elytral^striaeverythin, with small puncturesremotely placed. Inter- vals₃

and

₅

and

sutural half of i moderatelyshining, feebly elevated ⁱⁿ apical half or more, ⁱ with a_single

row

of fine closely placedpunctures

along thesuture, 3and5 either uni-orbi-seriatelypunctulate,humeraland subapicalcallosities wellmarked,thelatter long.

Ventral surface sparsely foveate-punctate, coarsest on metasternum, sparse

and

fineronfirst, stillfineron secondtofourth ventral segments.

cT.

Pygidium

truncate, ventralconcavity moderately^shallow.

9^.

Pygidium

^{a little}

more

narrowed to apex, which is moderately rounded.

Length, 9-11

mm.,

width, 3.3-3.8

mm.

Wisconsin (id

¹, coll.

Roberts); Maryland

(icT,

i?,

^coll.

Ulke.)

Type. No.

8228,

U.

S.

National Museum. Mr. Ulke's

_speci-

mens

are in

the Carnegie Museum,

Pittsburg, Pa.

The Wis- consin example ^has been kindly given

^to

the National Museum by ^Mr.

^C.

^{H. Roberts.}

In some _purely

superficial

characters

there ^is great

resem- blance between

this species

and

costipennis,

and

mllosiventris,

but the

_singular

construction

of

the rostrum _precludes

its classification

with those

_species,

while the

tarsalstructure pre-

vents

its

being placed

ⁱⁿ

the

_pertinax

group. The

third joints ofall

the

tarsiare

very

^little

^wider than the

first.

The

club of

the antenna

^iswide,

the

funicular joints

very narrow, and the

_pedi- cel is

very wide and rounded. The antennal

structure of

preceding

species ^is radically different,

the club and

_pedicel

being comparatively smaller and the

funicular joints larger,

thus preventing

^their

being grouped

together.

Sphenophorus robustior, new

_species.

Ofsimilarappearance^torobustusbutstill

more

robust,

and

shorter,with shorterrostrum

and

lesselevated vittae. Black with

much

_graycoating

above.

Rostrum

three-fourths the length ^of thorax, strongly subequally com- pressed, bent

backward

_{in apical}thirdwhereit gradually enlarges^tothe apex, whichbearsa _small,moderatelydeep,rounded_{concavity,posterior} face at apex ^subobtuse. Base rather broad, with interocular puncture usually not clearly defined.

Thorax

withvittaefeeblyelevated,

somewhat

coarsely

and

_denselypunc-

tate;

median

not attaining base, lateral with lateral branch variable.

Scutellum ^smaller than in robustus. Elytra deeply striate, finely punc- tate; intervals 3

and

₅ wider, remainder subequal ⁱⁿ width; ⁱ strongly elevated, 3

and

sometimes _{5 slightly}elevated

and

black _apically. Inter- vals i, 3, 5

and

7biseriatelypunctulate exceptat base,remainderuniseri- ately

and

alittle

more

_coarsely

and

notso closelypunctulate.

cT.

Pygidium

pentagonal, with _palegold hairsscarcelyextending^out of the punctures. Lateral tufts minute.

Lower

surface moderately coarsely punctate; ventral concavity moderate.

OF WASHINGTON. 63

9^.

Pygidium

^{narrow, rounded at} apex; punctures deeper, ^hairs scarcely^visible; lower surface

more

_finelypunctate thanin robustus.

Length, 10-11.5

mm.,

width, 4.5-4.8

mm.

Cook

_Co., 111.; "Ills."

(Forbes and _Hart).

Type. No.

_8229,

U.

S.

National Museum. _{Types kindly} presented by

^Messrs.

^Forbes and Hart. Cotypes

in collection of Illinois

State Laboratory

^of

^Natural

History.

This

_species

has been compared ^with

^robustus

merely ^because

of

the

superficial

resemblance

of

the two. As a matter

of fact

the two

_species

do _{not belong}

to

the same _group. The coarse punctation

^of

the

vittae

and the

finer

punctation

^of

the

_elytra

alone would

distinguish

them even without the

peculiar tarsal structure,

which

issimilarto incongruus.

Sphenophorus pontederise, new

_species.

Form

similar to venatus, about one-thirdaswide _{as long, general} color dullblackwithoutalutaceous_coating.

Rostrum

four-fifths the length^of the thorax, slender, nearly perfectly cylindrical, moderately dilated at base, a little

more

above the scrobes, dilated portion rounded, moderately ^rather narrowly canaliculate, inter- ocular puncture rounded, usually deep; surface

somewhat

sparsely

and

finely punctulate except basalportion.

Head

sparsely punctulate, nearly smooth.

Thorax

longerthan_wide,moderatelyarcuate, graduallynarrowertothe apex, apicalconstriction not strong; ^discdensely coarsely

and

_verydeeply punctate, the punctures frequently ^{confluent. Vittae} broad _shining, feebly elevated,

and

_finely sparsely punctate;

median

vittabifurcate in- closinganapical fossa

and

_extendinginafaint linethrough^fossabut not attaining the base^ofthe thorax,broadly^dilatedat

and

infrontofthemid- dle; lateral vittae extending fromthe forked portion ^of the

median

vitta with which they^areconfluent

and

_curving aroundtheexpanded portion ofthe

median

vitta to basalmargin^ofthorax, beingpartiallyinterrupted at apical third. Scutellum_polished,moderately^concave.

Elytral surface

somewhat

_{unequal, finely} striate, striae moderately coarsely punctate,puncturesgradually^{finer to}apex; ^intervalsnearlyflat, distinctly or slightlyalternatingⁱⁿ width

and

_scarcelyin convexity,very finely uniseriatelypunctulate.

Pygidium

coarsely punctate, ^hairsgolden yellow, comparatively long, particularly about the apex where they ^ex- tend

beyond

^{thelateraltufts.}

Lower

surface coarsely

and

densely foveate-punctate, nearlyuniform at sides

and

middle, punctureslargest, becoming^confluent onthe metaster-

num,

^alsoonlastsegment where they form^{a smallfossa at}apex; ^first

and

second abdominal segment ^divided

by

^{a faint sutural line.} Legs long, finely sparsely punctate.

d\ Metasternum

and

firstabdominal segmentfeebly

and

_narrowlycon- caveatmiddle, secondventralveryfeebly.

Pygidium

feeblyroundedat apex.

$^. Metasternum_nearlyflat.

Pygidium

^alittle

more

_distinctlyrounded atapex.

Length, 9-11

mm.,

width,3.5 4.4

mm.

New

Orleans,

La. (H.

Soltau,

R. W.

_Shufeldt);

"Louisiana";

St. Lucie, Fla.,

and _Savannah, Ga. (Hubbard and _Schwarz)

;

Texas

_{(i ex.)}

Reared _August,

_1883,

by ^{Mr. Albert Koebele from}

^larvae

found on the

roots of

pickerel-weed

(Pontederia cordatd) ⁱⁿJuly.

Type. No.

_7907,

U.

S.

National Museum.

A

_single

example, from New

Orleans,

has the punctured

^sur- face of

the dorsum, a considerable portion

^of

the lower

surface of

the thorax and small

irregular areas

on the abdomen coated with a shining ochreous integument

^like

^that

^of(zqualis.

A _very

distinct _species,

showing no apparent

affinity to

any other form. From venatus

or

"placidus," with which

^it

has been confounded

in

many

collections,^it

may ^be

distinguished

by

^its

naked body;

long, cylindrical

rostrum; with rounded apex

^;

longer

legs^;

more narrowed thorax

;

broader

thoracic vit- tse;

divided

_apical fossa,

and ventral punctuation

^{as well as}

sexual

characters.

The

tarsal structure^is

very

^{similar to}

^that

of

the venatus group.

[ISSUEDFEBRUARY9,19U5.)