Till- LAMKU.ICOKX BICKTLKS. f>4!> 



XVIII. HOPLIA Illiger. 1803. (Gr., "arms.") 



Oblong, more cr less flattened insects, living on flowers by day, 

 beneath cover at night, and having the body entirely or in part cov- 

 ered with Hat scales of a yellowish, brownish or silvery hue; claws 

 of front and middle tarsi chelate and unequal, the outer one being 

 larger and bifid at tip: scutellum small; club of antennas three- 

 jointed. The two sexes often differ much in size and color and the 

 males have the hind tibia- and tarsi stouter. 



KEY TO INDIANA SPECIES OF HOPLIA. 



a. (Maw of hind tarsi not cleft. 



b. Sexes dissimilar in colur. male black, hairy with grayish pubescence; 

 female brown with pale brown and yellowish silvery scales; thorax 

 wide, narrowed in front, its sides snhangulate and rounded. 



17!>1. TRIFASCIATA. 



l>h. I'.oth sexes dull black, thinly clothed with elongate grayish scales; 

 thorax with sides oblique, slightly rounded; olypeus more strongly 

 margined in front. 17H2. TUIVIALIS. 



an. (Maw of hind tarsi cleft near the tip. 



r. Sides of thorax strongly angulated ; black, sides of thorax, suture and 

 margins of elytra and two oblique branches with silvery scales. 



17'.):'.. UMP.ATA. 

 cc. Sides of thorax either broadly rounded or nearly straight. 



il. I'.rown. clothed with very small scales, these oval on thorax, nar- 

 row and hair-like on elytra. 1704. MODESTA. 

 iliL Dull brownish-yellow, very densely clothed with silvery scales, these 

 circular on thorax, broadly oval on elytra. 



1794a. var. BARBATA. 



17!)1 <r><1f>0). HOPLIA TRIFASCIATA Say. Journ. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci., III. 

 1823. 200; ibid. II. 301. 



Oblcng. Male dull black; th-irax and elytra rather densely clothed 

 with elongate grayish-yellow prostrate hairs or hair-like scales; pygidium 

 and abdomen densely covered with silvery scales; these replaced by erect 

 gray hairs on front of under surface and legs. Female with head black: 

 thorax and elytra reddish-brown, covered with yellowish scales, some of 

 those of elytra usually more densely placed so as to form three irregular, 

 undulated bands, one at base, another at middle and a third near apex; 

 entire under surface clothed with silvery scales. Head and thorax in both 

 sexes with numerous erect grayish or yellowish hairs. Olypeus truncate, 

 the front edge retlexed. Length <i. .">--'. mm. 



Lake, Starke and Vigo counties ; scarce. April 8-May 27. Oc- 

 curs on flowers of <'ntl<i</tix. etc. Passes the winter in pupal stage 

 beneath half-buried logs and other cover. The black" males appear 

 to be rare, but one having been taken in the State. 



