SUBFAMILY VII. — RHYPAROCHROMIN^E. 391 



III. Sph^robius Uhler, 1893, 710. 



Elongate, moderately slender species having the head broad- 

 er across the eyes than front lobe of pronotum and without 

 distinct neck; beak reaching middle coxae; pronotum as in 

 key, the transverse constriction deep; elytra (brachypterous) 

 reaching middle of fourth or fifth dorsal ; front femora much 

 swollen and armed beneath on inner side with a number of 

 short teeth ; hind tibiae with rigid bristles ; basal joint of hind 

 tarsi nearly three times as long as the others united. Three 

 species are known, two occurring in our territory. 



KEY TO SPECIES OF SPH.EROBIUS. 



a. Head and front lobe of pronotum with erect bristly hairs ; third and 

 fourth joints of antenna? subequal in length; eorium without dull 

 white striae; smaller, length 5 — 6 mm. 330. INSIGNIS. 



aa. Head and pronotum without erect hairs; fourth antennal one-fourth 

 longer than third ; eorium with four dull white stria? diverging 

 from base and reaching to beyond middle; larger, length, 7.5 — 8 

 mm. 331. quadristriatus. 



330 (531). Sph^erobius insignis (Uhler), 1872, 407. 



Head and front lobe of pronotum shining black: hind lobe of pro- 

 notum, scutellum, a large subquadrate spot behind middle and apex of 

 eorium piceous-black; base of eorium and a transverse spot at apical 

 fourth dull white; antenna? reddish-brown, the fourth joint and apex 

 of third blackish ; under surface shining black, thickly clothed with 

 minute prostrate yellowish-gray pubescence; hind margin of meta- 

 pleura white; femora piceous, tibia? and tarsi paler. Hind lobe of pro- 

 notum sparsely and finely punctate, strongly declivent to the deep con- 

 striction. Scutellum similarly punctate, nearly one-half longer than wide 

 at base. Other characters as above given. Length, 5 — 6 mm. 



Georgetown, Colo., July 27 (Gerhard). Uhler's types were 

 from "Utah, Colorado, Canada and Minnesota," but it occurs 

 also in Maine and New Hampshire though not known in our 

 territory west of these two states. According to Uhler, speci- 

 mens "occasionally occur with chestnut-red pronotum," and in 

 macropterous forms the elytra are somewhat longer than ab- 

 domen. 



331 (532). Sph^erobius quadristriatus Barber, 1911a, 24. 



Head and front lobe of pronotum shining, impunctate; scutellum, 

 membrane except tip and sterna beneath dully sooty black; hind lobe of 

 pronotum, ventral surface of abdomen and legs dark brown, the bases 

 of femora and tarsi paler; eorium dark brown with four whitish rays as 

 mentioned in key and a prominent white triangular spot near apex; an- 



