XXXI, ? 20] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS 213 



The two species credited to North America are Laphriu 

 dorsata Say (1824) and Laphria melanopterum Wiedemann 

 (1828). The former is cited as "taken near Philadelphia"; 

 the latter as "Vaterland?" but credited by all students to 

 North America. Williston notes what he considers Wiede- 

 niann's species from Florida, and states that it differs from 

 dorsata in having the wings black and broader, the face being 

 clothed with black, and the dorsum being shining. I cannot 

 distinguish melanoptera from dorsata either by descriptions 

 or notes relative to these supposed species. The former is 

 probably a very dark form of the latter, and as the material 

 before me shows much variation in the wing color, I do not 

 think that Wiedemann's name can be retained for any North 

 American species or variety. 



Pogosoma dorsata Say. 



1824. Laphria dorsata Say, Amer. Ent., i, pi. vi, page 5. 



9 1828. Laphria melanoptera Wiedemann, Ausser. Zweifl. Ins., i, 514. 



Sav's description agrees so well with my eastern material 

 that I do not doubt the determination. As there is very 

 much variation in the color of the wings, this character can- 

 not be taken seriously. What I consider dorsata may be 

 described as follows: 



cf. Black entirely, except more or less brown on post alar calli and on 

 the pleural and ventral sutures. Shining to polished, with some bluish 

 metallic or grayish reflections. Face especially below, occiput especially 

 post orbits, one or two pairs of spots on mesonotum (one at each dorsal 

 end of the two sutures, the anterior pair being most pronounced), suture 

 above base of wings, pleura especially towards pectus, silvery according 

 to the angle of vision. All true bristles black. Pile or bristle-like hairs 

 black as follows: on first and second joints, face above and upper part of 

 mystax, occiput above, palpi, apex of proboscis, prothoracic collar, hunieri, 

 mesonotum posteriorly, sometimes a few on margin of scutellum, pleura, 

 and abdomen. Pale (white) pile on frons, around base of antennae, lower 

 part of mystax, lower occiput, proboscis below, mesonotum anteriorly, 

 disc of scutellum and all coxae. Pile long and mixed on legs, but pain- 

 on femora becoming black on tarsi. The pile is long and abundant on 

 the lower surfaces of head and legs; long and woolly and rather sparse on 

 scutellum. Wings very variable, from evenly subhyaline, grayish to 

 densely fuscous with lighter areas in the cells especially along the inferior 

 margin. 



