H. C. FALL 399 



The maculation is here similarly variable but the jMX'vailing tendency is 

 toward a reduction of the black markings, until in extreme forms all traces of 

 the elj'tral spots have disai)peared leaving only the rows of blackish brown 

 punctures. The thoracic shades in these pale exami)les may remain well 

 marked or may become much reduced in extent and in dei)th of tint, but seem 

 never to entirely disappear. At the other extreme we find specimens in which 

 the dark areas are more or less evidently in excess, but these are compara- 

 tively infrequent and very rarely does the degree of suffusion approach that 

 seen in the darkest forms of melanostidus. I am imable to discover any dif- 

 ferences in sculpture which may be depended on to separate these two species. 

 As is generally true in mottled forms the darker specimens are the moi'e close- 

 ly punctate ones, so in general it may be said that the punctuation in pecca7is 

 is sparser than in rnelanostidus, the difference being most noticeable on the 

 front, and in the baso-sutural triangle of the el>-tra; but precisely the same 

 differences exist between pale and dark individuals of either species. The 

 elytral striae are typically a little more impressed in peccans. ^^'hile peccans 

 varies toward melanostictus in its darker individuals, it approaches so closely 

 to diversus and abdominalis in some of its paler forms as to make distinction 

 purely discretional. Diversus in its typical form is a somewhat smaller species, 

 of a rather brighter yellow color, without markings or with onh- faint rust 

 colored shades, and east of the one hundredth meridian or thereabouts there 

 appears to be no difficulty in distinguishing the two species; specimens occur, 

 however, on the plains from Dakota to Texas which may be assigned to either 

 with equal propriety. 



Only those specimens of peccans with immaculate elytra may be confused 

 with abdominalis. The latter is as a rule a larger and more robust species with 

 relatively somewhat finer punctuation and more feebly impressed elytral striae; 

 for further comparison see remarks under abdominalis. 



This species stands as atomarius Melsh. in the LeConte col- 

 lection, which interpretation has been followed by Bowditch — 

 at least there are specimens in the material before me so labeled 

 in Bowditch 's handwriting. That the present species is the true 

 'peccans of Suffrian is, however, established with certainty by 

 examination of a type sent me by Professor Taschenberg, whicii 

 agrees in every way with Suffrian's description. 



Peccans is a common and widely diffused species, especially in 

 the northern part of our territory from the Atlantic to the Rocky 

 ]\Iountains extending south in the western part of its range to 

 Texas and New Mexico. The following localities are known to 

 me. 



Distribution. — Delaware: type, in Suffrian Coll. New Brunswick : July S 

 (Mcintosh). Maine: East Machias, July (Fenyes). Massachusetts: Mid- 

 dle.sex Co. (Blanchard); Chatham, July 14 (Frost), also in Snow Coll.; Ashland, 

 June 4, sweeping grass, and Framingham, May 23, on Rumex flowers (Frost); 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC, XLI. 



