H. C. FALL 301 



especially robust xanti. Unless the form is either exceptionallj' 

 elongate or robust, no mention will be made of it in the descrip- 

 tions. 



Head. — The head is relatively larger and less deeply inserted 

 in the prothorax than in Cryptocephalus, always visible from 

 above, varying in width from slightly more than half that of the 

 prothorax to very nearly that of the latter, the extremes being 

 represented in but very few species. In a large majority of 

 species the eyes are not appreciably more prominent than the 

 anterior thoracic angles, or in other words, a line continuing 

 the side margins of the prothorax at the front angles would pass 

 tangent to the eyes or very nearly so. In a small number of 

 species the eyes are distinctly more prominent and would be in- 

 tersected by the produced side margins of the prothorax. These 

 differences are covered in the descriptions by such expressions as 

 "head not wider than the thoracic apex," or "eyes more promi- 

 nent than the thoracic angles." The front is nearly flat or broadly 

 feebly convex in all species, the median line more or less impressed, 

 especially toward the vertex. The punctuation is uniform 

 throughout in a few species, but as a rule is denser on the vertex, 

 in and adjacent to the median line, and about the base of the 

 antennae. As the punctures are nearly always of some shade of 

 brown or blackish, it follows naturally that the more densely punc- 

 tate areas are darker in color, and in fact determine the position 

 of what are called in the descriptions the standard markings. 

 As a corollary of this proposition it follows that the uniformly 

 punctate head is unicolorous, but it should be remarked that the 

 converse of this is not necessarily true. 



Ocular lines. — In all species there is a more or less distinct 

 impressed line around and contiguous to the upper margin of the 

 eye. This impressed line, in the majority of species, continues 

 strictly marginal around the upper lobe of the eye and ])ccomes 

 gradually evanescent in the emargination; but in many species 

 the groove around the upper margin diverges more or less from 

 the eye and is continued on the front between the upper lobes as 

 an impressed line of punctures gradually disappearing inferiorly. 

 These two conditions are indicated in the descriptions l)y the 

 expressions "front with (or without) ocular lines," or more 

 briefly "ocular lines present" — "or wanting." This character, 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC, XLI. 



