EDMUND H. GIBSON 181 



THE GENUS PHATNOMA FIEBER 



(TINGIDAE; HETEROPTERA) 



BY EDMUND H. GIBSON 



United States Bureau of Entomology 



Phatnoma is one of the Tingid genera whose known distribu- 

 tions are Hmited to the tropical zone, and hence has some of the 

 pecuhar structural variations so characteristic of native groups 

 of that region. 



Fieber described the genus, in 1844, to include his /aa/(a/a, which 

 is the genotype. The only other contributions to the knowledge 

 of this group were made by Champion, in 1901, and Distant, in 



1909, describing new species. Seven species are included in the 

 genus, two of which are herein described as new. 



The principal characters which distinguish Phatnoma are the 

 long and numerous head spines, the extremely broad and flaring 

 lateral membranous margins of the pronotum, whose angles 

 terminate in spines, and the sharp carinae which separate the 

 costal, subcostal, and discoidal areas of the elytra. 



So far as is known the genus is of little economic importance, 

 no food plants of any of the species having been recorded. 



PHATNOMA Fieoer 

 1844. Fiel)er, Ent. Mon., p. 57. 

 1901. Champion, Biol. Centr.-Am., Heteropt., ii, p. 2. 



1910. Distant, Fauna British India, v, p. 102. 



Head long, horizontal, with numerous spines as follows: one 

 pair at base of head, one pair just in front of basal pair, one single 

 spine just in front of second pair, jugae terminating in spines, and 

 antenniferous tubercles spinous. First two segments of antennae 

 very short, third veiy long, fourth about as long as first two taken 

 together. Rostrum long. Pronotum tricarinate, without hood, 

 and nearly truncate behind. Lateral margins of pronotum mem- 

 ))ranoiis, flaring, with four or more rows of areoles and directed 

 forward, forwaixl border being sinuate with angles spinous. 

 Scutellum distinct. Elytra wide ovate, with claval area prom- 

 inent. Other areas prominently separated by sharp carinae. 



TRANS. AM, ENT. SOC, XLV. 



