PROC. ENT. SOC. WASH., VOL. 22, NO. 6, JUNE, IQ2O I.^T 



of a search through the available literature dealing with South 

 American forms, the possibility must remain that it may have been 

 missed among the old species listed under Sphenophorus. Among 

 its congeners in the National Collection the present species is 

 remarkable for its small size, brilliant color, and absence of any 

 external sexual character usual in the genus. It is with much 

 pleasure that this beautiful species is named in honor of its first 

 finder on our mainland, Mr. C. A. Mosier, the warden of the 

 Royal Palm State Park, whose great interest in the study and 

 preservation of the tropical natural history of his region has re- 

 vealed so many forms hitherto unknown within our geographical 

 limits and whose many personal kindnesses helped greatly in our 

 comfort and collecting ability during our work on Paradise Key. 



Metamasius mosieri, new species. (Plate 8.) 



Small: alutaceous except head, rostrum, antennae, legs, metasternum and 

 median half of underside of abdomen which are shining ; black, except most 

 of pronotum, meta thorax and basal half of elytra which are bright red. 

 Length 6.5-9.0 mm.; width 3.0-3.6 mm. Habitat Florida and Cuba. 



Rostrum about three-fifths as long as pronotum in 9 , slightly more than 

 half in cf, moderately curved, feebly compressed, impunctate in apical third, 

 becoming sparsely punctate towards base; base feebly dilated above antennal 

 sockets which are almost contiguous to the margin of the eye ; gular peduncle 

 narrow, compressed, and strongly dentiform anteriorly. Prothorax nine- 

 tenths as wide as long, impunctate or very minutely and sparsely punctuate on 

 disc, a few scattered punctures before base and in the subapical constriction ; 

 strongly but sparsely punctate below; the bright sanguineous color of the 

 pronotum extends down the sides half way to the coxae, but leaves the apical 

 margin narrowly bordered with black, and a broader bilobed black border at 

 base. Scutellum narrow, flat, impunctate, black. Elytra finely striate with 

 fine, deep, widely distant, strial punctures; intervals flat and impunctate 

 except for a median series of very fine, close set, almost obsolete punctures ; 

 basal half sanguineous, each elytron with a small round, antemedian black 

 spot between third and sixth stria, which is obscurely connected to the black 

 apical area on two specimens, these two also displaying a small faint posthu- 

 meral macula. Pygidium deeply, moderately densely punctate, apex broadly 

 rounded in tf , much narrowed in 9- Metasternum sanguineous except 

 small infuscate areas near middle of hind coxae; metepisternum rufous at 

 middle the anterior and posterior ends black. Metanotum and dorsal por- 

 tions of abdomen under the wing covers yellow. An internal segment pro- 

 truding under the raised pygidum in three females is testaceous, sulcate 

 (almost cleft) medially at apex, laterally coarsely punctured and with fine, 

 sparse hairs. 



Type and paratypes No. 22768, U. S. National Museum. 

 Described from five specimens: A male collected at Cayamas, 



