404 HETEROMERA. 
EPICAUTA. 
Epicauta, Redtenbacher, Fauna Austriaca, ed. 1, p. 631 (1849); Horn, Proc. Am. Phil. Soc. xiii. 
p- 95 (1873); Leconte & Horn, Class. Col. N. Am. p. 421 (1888). 
The highlands of Mexico and the adjacent regions to the northward are particularly 
rich in species of this genus, and the headquarters of Zpicauta in the New World would 
appear to be in Mexico, its members rapidly diminishing in number southwards. 
Forty-nine species * (as against thirty-five from the United States) are here enumerated 
from Mexico or Central America: of this number seven only extend to Guatemala or 
Nicaragua, and one (E. carmelita) to Colombia. Panama appears to have but three 
species, two of which are South American. The Mexican picautw have been 
monographed by Dugés [An. Mus. Michoacano, ii. pp. 60-91 (1889)], and many 
species have also been described by Haag, these authors having in numerous cases 
described the same species under different names; thirty-two are enumerated by 
Dugés. As in Macrobasis, the male-characters in the antenne, anterior tibiae, &c. 
are of the utmost importance for discriminating between the numerous closely-allied 
forms, more particularly as regards the species with cinereous or black pubescence, 
the colour of the pubescence itself being sometimes variable (E. cinerea, &c.). The 
punctuation of the head and thorax also varies greatly in some of the species (¢. g. in 
E. curvicornis), and it cannot always be relied upon as a specific character. In one 
interesting new species from Coahuila (£. singularis) the suture of the elytra is 
longitudinally raised at about one-third from the apex in the female. The antenne, 
the intermediate joints of which are sometimes distorted (E. curvicornis) or dilated 
(E. basimacula, &c.) in the male, show every gradation in structure from strongly 
setaceous to filiform; but in the following “Key” I have not thought it safe to group 
the species upon this character (as is done by Dr. Horn), as some of them would be as 
well placed in one section as the other. All the species here referred to Epicauta have 
a silky-pubescent concave space on the inner face of the anterior femora and tibie 
in both sexes. E. subatra, E. apicalis, and EF. subrubra, Dugés, and £. dohrni, 
E. haroldi, and E. modesta (Haag) are unknown to me, and may be incorrectly placed 
in the “Key.” These insects are chiefly found in the dry-season, upon flowers, some- 
times in the greatest profusion. 
Third antennal joint distinctly longer than the fourth. 
Prothorax with the sides more or less rounded or obliquely converging 
in front. 
Antenne elongate, setaceous, the intermediate joints strongly distorted 
inmale . . . 1 ee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee) «Species 1. 
Antenne more or less elongate, tapering outwardly or filiform. 
Anterior tibie unicalcarate in male. 
Intermediate joints of the antenne flattened and dilated in male . Species 2-4. 
* Three or four of these must be regarded as doubtful. 
