516 FAMILY XVIII. — ploiariid;e. 



from the base, the spines or hairs usually very short and nu- 

 merous; front tibiae nearly as long as the femora, front tarsi 

 with two distinct segments (fig. 3). Other characters as in 

 generic key. 



The species of Empicoris appear to be very scarce in Indiana, 

 but occur quite frequently in Florida. There both they and 

 other Ploiarids seem especially partial to leaves of palmetto. 

 From a pile of leaves of cabbage palmetto in my back yard, 

 which were cut in November, I have taken by beating, before 

 April, examples of Empicoris rubromaculatus, barberi and palmensis, 

 Emesaya brevipennis, Ploiaria setulifera and hirticornis, and Mctap- 

 terus fra tenuis. Both the generic names Ploiariodes White and 

 Ploiariola Reut. are, according to McAtee & Malloch (1923, 

 162), to be replaced by Empicoris Wolff. Twelve species are 

 recognized by these authors, ten of which occur in the eastern 

 states, and one additional one is herewith added. 



KEY TO EASTERN SPECIES OF EMPICORIS. 



a. Hind lobe of pronotum with lateral carinae obsolete at middle; apical 

 third of elytral costal margin usually marked with red; eighth 

 ventral of male with a large rounded emargination on hind mar- 

 gin (fig. 5). 489. RUBROMACULATUS. 

 aa. Hind lobe of pronotum with pale lateral carinae complete through- 

 out; apical third of costal margin without a red line; eighth ven- 

 tral of male prolonged backward at middle of hind margin (figs. 

 12, 13). 

 b. Hind lobe of pronotum with two sharp whitish dorsal carinse, sim- 

 ilar to the lateral ones, extending its full length; dark areas of 

 elytra thickly peppered with minute whitish dots ; front end of 

 lateral carina? of pronotum without a small process or knob. 



490. BARBERI. 



bb. Pronotum without sharp dorsal carinse; dark areas of elytra (ex- 

 cept in errabundus) without whitish dots; lateral carinse of hind 

 lobe of pronotum each usually ending in front in a more or less 

 distinct process or knob. 

 c. Apical third of inner or hind wings either conspicuously spotted 

 with black, or fuscous with white reticulations. 

 d Hind margin of pronotum with a conspicuous black erect median 

 tubercle; front end of lateral carinas of hind lobe of pronotum 

 ending in a small outward projecting process; elytra not honey- 

 combed as in reticulata*, their venation as in fig. 4. 



491. TUBERCULATUS. 



(Id. Hind margin of pronotum without a tubercle; front end of lateral 

 carinae of pronotum without an outward projecting process; 

 elytra microscopically honey-combed with fine black lines. 



492. RETICULATUS. 



