~>'2 FAMILY in. 



Subfamily II. RHYNCHITIN/E. 

 Tin: TCOTIIK]) XOSK Sxorr UKKTLKS. 



This subfamily comprises a small group of snout beetles whose 

 members are related to the Rhinomaeerimp but differ in having 

 no labrum ; in the mandibles being toothed on both inner and 

 outer sides and capable of being spread widely apart (Fig. St. 

 and in the presence of distinct epipleura>. When the mandibles 

 are closed the outer tooth at the end of each extends forward so 

 that two small acute teeth seem to project from the mouth. The 

 inner elytral fold is very feeble, being short, straight and remote 

 from the margin. 



In addition to the characters mentioned, the Rhynchitids 

 have the head prominent, not deflexed ; beak slender, but feebly 

 broader or flattened in front of the antenna?; maxillary palpi 4- 

 jointed, short and rigid; antenna? 11-jointed, straight, the first 

 joint not elongated and scarcely stouter, 2 S slender, 11 

 broader and forming a loose club; eyes small, convex, widely 

 separated; thorax convex, truncate before and behind; elytra 

 separately rounded and exposing the pygidium in -onie genera; 

 conjointly rounded and covering that segment in others; abdo- 

 men alike in both sexes with five free ventral segments slightly 

 diminishing in length; front and middle coxa? conical, contigu- 

 ous and prominent, hind ones transverse and reaching the elytra 

 or nearly so; legs slender, tarsi brush-like beneath, 4-jointed, the 

 third joint usually dilated and deeply bilobed; claws bifid or 

 acutely toothed. 



A family Rliynchitida 1 was founded by Le<'onte in 1S74, the 

 name being derived from that of the typical genus JHti/m-hitcx. 

 meaning "snout." By recent European authors this family has 

 been combined either with the Attelabina? or as a subfamily of 

 Ourculionidte. We prefer, for reasons already stated, the latter 

 arrangement. About 150 members of the subfamily are known, 

 31 of which have been described from the United States. Some 

 of the species roll leaves and deposit in each roll an egg (Fig. 

 34) ; others deposit their eggs in young fruit, the kernel of which 

 is eaten by the larva ; still others place the eggs in young buds of 

 trees which are destroyed by the grubs. In our species the body 

 is rather elongate or pear-shaped; the side pieces of the meso- 

 thorax are diagonally divided, the epimera not ascending to pro- 

 tect the legs, while those of the metal horax are narrow and par- 

 allel. Four genera of the subfamily are recognized from the 



