SUBFAMILY V. AFIONIXJE. 



67 



Fall in the tables given for their separation but have added other 

 characters to the keys wherever it was thought that it would aid 

 the student. He first separates the species of the United Slates 

 into four groups, all of which are represented with us. 



Fig. 37. Characters of Apion. a, Fiont femut of male of iiiipcditnin ; b, of im- 

 f'linctistriatnni ; c, of ntclanariiiiii : d, of desolatum; <?, of pennsylvanicum; f, front tibia 

 of male, usual form in Group 1; g, same of fiintiiiuiiu ; li, i, j, types of simple claws ot 

 Groups I and II; k, I, types of toothed claws in Groups III and IV; m, middle tarsus 

 of tcniiifoiiiic; 11, abdomen closely, coarsely punctate; o, abdomen sparsely, finely 

 punctate; j*-s, mucronate hind tibire of males of pervicax, patruele, walslui, and novellum; 

 t, first joint of middle tarsi of male of f'Ci'similc ; u, upper margin of antenna! fovea 

 angulate; t p , same not angulate. (After Fall.) 



KEY TO GROUPS OF APION. 



a. Tarsal claws simple or nearly so, (Fig. 37, li, i, ;',); pubescence almost 



wanting. 



l>. Front femora of male more or less swollen or tuberculate and with 



a polished area toward the tip. (Fig. 37, a. e.) GROUP I. 



bb. Front femora of male unmodified. GROUP II. 



act. Tarsal claws evidently toothed near the base (Fig. 37, k, I.) ; pubes- 

 cence usually plainly visible. 



c. Tibiae of male, at least two pairs of them mucronate at tip. (Fig. 

 37, p, q, r, s.) GROUP III. 



cc. Tibia 3 of male unarmed at tip. GROUP IV. 



GROUP I. 



Our members of this group have the form generally slender, 

 the pubescence very sparse or nearly wanting, the surface very 

 shining. The males are distinguished by having the beak shorter, 

 dilated at the base and more strongly sculptured than in the fe- 

 male. The male front femora are more or less swollen or tuber- 

 culate on the inner face near the tip, the lower face of the swell- 

 ing being always polished; the femur is also usually grooved 

 lengthwise near the tip, the groove being limited on the outside by 

 a more or less well defined ridge, known as the infra-limiting 

 ridge. The front tibiae are rather suddenly though not strongly 

 widened at about the basal fourth, while the tips of the middle 

 and hind tibia? are armed with a small spine. 



