70 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [Feb., 'oS 



The North American Species of Chariessa (Coleoptera). 

 BY A. B. WOLCOTT, Chicago, 111. 



Three examples of an undescribed species of the genus 

 Chariessa have been in my collection for many )^ears. Speci- 

 mens of the four species and one color variety known to occur 

 in our fauna are now before me, and demonstrate that the 

 nondescript is specifically distinct. 



Our few species may be separated by the aid of the follow- 

 ing table : 



A. Abdomen entirely red. 



b. Thorax depressed, sides narrowing anteriorly, pubescence of thorax 



light red ; elytra broadly dilated posteriorly. Length 7-14 mm. 



Cal., Tex., Mex elegans Horn. 



bb. Thorax convex. 



c. Elongate, sides of prothorax parallel anteriorly, pubescence of 



thorax blackish ; sides of elytra nearly parallel. Length 9 

 mm. Cal., N. J dicliroa Lee. 



c. c. Robust, sides of prothorax strongly narrowing anteriorly, pubes- 



cence of thorax whitish (or fulvous) ; elytra broadly dilated 

 posteriorly. Length 6-8.5 mm - Tex., N. J., Mex., Nicaragua, 



Panama, Guatemala, Brazil vestita Chevr. 



A A. Abdomen black. 



d. Thorax moderately convex, narrowing anteriorly ; elytra black. 



Length 7-13 mm. Fla., Ga., N. J., D. C,, N. Y., R. I., Mass., 

 Pa., Ohio, Wis., Out., 111., Iowa, Neb , Kans., Ark., Ky., 



Tex pilosa Forst. 



Elytra black, lateral and sutural margins pale, femora usually 



pale var. oniista Say. 



d d. Thorax strongly convex, parallel anteriorly : elytra dark blue. 



Length 11-15 mm. Texas texana n. sp. 



Elytra dark blue, lateral and sutural margins pale .... var. 



C. vestita Chevrolat (Brachyjnorphus}, Col., Mex., Cent, ii, No. 150 

 (1835) ; Klug. (Enoplium), Abh. Bed. Akad., 1842, p. 363; 

 tab. i, fig. 10 ; Spinola, Mon. Cle"rites ii, p. 88 ; tab. 45, fig. 2 

 (1844) ; Gorham, Biol. Cent. Amer. iii, part 2, p. 187 (1882) ; 

 Laporte ( Corynetes spectabilis) Silberman's Revue Ent. iv, p. 

 50, No. i (1836). 



Ill this beautiful species, which has erroneously been accred- 

 ited to Spiuola, the elytra and prothorax are blue, densely 

 pubescent with erect whitish hairs, on each elytron before the 

 middle there is a large transversely oval, velvety black spot ; 



