,64 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. loi 



DISCUSSION OF MYOCHROUS ALBOVILLOSUS JACOBY 



Plate S, Figuee 4 



Pachnephorus tessellatus Duftschmid, Fauna Austriaca, vol. 3, p. 217, 1825. 

 Myochrous albovillosus Jacoby, Biologia Centrali-Americana, Coleoptera, vol. 6, 

 pt. 1, p. 176, 1882. 



Myockrous dtl)Ovillosus^ described by Jacoby from "Mexico," is 

 really a species of Pachnepho7ms that occurs about the Mediterranean. 

 There are two cotypes, one in the British Museum (in the Baly collec- 

 tion, collected by Pilate) and the other in the Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology (in the Bowditch collection from Jacoby 's collection). I 

 compared a specimen of Pachnephorus tessellatus Duftschmid with 

 the cotype in the Museum of Comparative Zoology and found them 

 indistinguishable. The short antennae w^ith the greatly thickened 

 distal joints, the thorax without toothing, the abdomen with the very 

 long first segment, the shallow emargination at the apex of the middle 

 and hind tibiae, and the broad, bifid scales all place this species in 

 Pachnephorus rather than in Myochrous. The detailed description of 

 the Museum of Comparative Zoology cotype is as follows : 



About 3.7 mm. in length, oblong oval, shining dark brown beneath 

 with the dense, closely appressed, pale brown and white scales, the 

 scales short, broad, bifid. Antennae barely reaching the base of the 

 prothorax, the five distal joints much enlarged, and as wide as long. 

 Prothorax cylindrical, as long as broad, with a small apical and basal 

 tooth but no signs of lateral toothing, sides arcuate ; disk without de- 

 pressions except along the basal margin, smoothly covered by broad, 

 pale scales, the scales in the center a little darker ; punctation beneath 

 apparently rather dense and fine. Elytra broader than prothorax, 

 tapering at apex, rather convex, with prominent humeri, and covered 

 by broad scales that form a pattern, white along the base and on 

 liumeri, and down the middle of each elytron two or more white spots, 

 and another along the side ; rows of striate punctures not contingent 

 l)ut well-spaced, and the punctures round. Body beneath more densely 

 clad with narrower and longer scales, particularly along the sides of 

 the abdomen, down the middle of the abdomen and on the upper under- 

 body less scaly; first abdominal segment nearly half the length of 

 abdomen ; legs less densely scaly, not toothed ; middle and hind tibiae 

 with an emargination at apex ; anterior tibiae without toothing. 



It seems likely that some mistake in locality labels may have been 

 made, as none of the species of Pachnephorus is known to occur in the 

 Western Hemisphere. Pachnephorus tessellatus is reported in Junk's 

 Catalogue as occurring in middle and southern Europe, central Asia, 

 and Mon":olia. 



U. S. GOVERNMENT PRtNTING OFFICE: 1950 



