368 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. iii 



club-shaped, apex obliquely truncated, with U-shaped corbicle; 

 tarsi absent.^ 



Sternites: Strongly convex, densely long-haired subapically. 



Terminalia: See subfamily treatment. 



Color: All species are some shade of tan or brown; no piceous or 

 black forms are known. 



Nymphs: The half dozen nymphs available during this study were 

 third, fourth, and fifth instars of divergens, new species, and talpa. 

 They showed the head and leg structure of the adults and indicated 

 that the nymphs of this genus may be readily recognized by these 

 same peculiar modifications. 



Type of genus. — Scaptocoris castanea Perty (1830, p. 166), 

 monobasic. 



Distribution.— Restricted to the Neotropical Region where it 

 has been reported as far north as Mexico and Cuba and south on 

 the South American continent to northern Argentina. 



Discussion. — The few notes that have been published on the 

 biology of the species of this genus indicate they are root feeders 

 as adults and n3anphs (Champion, 1900; Carvalho, 1952) and of some 

 agricultural importance (Champion, 1900; Costa Lima, 1940). 



Some specimens exhibited severe wear in the form of nearly or 

 quite complete obliteration of the lateral crenulations and dorsal 

 rugae of the head and a marked shortening of the front tibia, which 

 apparently are stabbed into the earth in digging. 



In 1847 Schiodte also described as new in this genus the following 

 four species: molginus (p. 458), tabulatus (p. 459), callidus (p. 460) and 

 terginus (p. 460). The first three of these were described from India 

 and correctly assigned to Stibaropus by StM (1876, p. 17). S. terginus 

 was described from the Colsman collection as being unlabelled but in 

 a box containing specimens supposed to have come from Brazil ; how- 

 ever, Schiodte liimself wi'ote that the accuracy of this label was not 

 beyond question. Personal examination of the type (Copen) of terginus 

 showed it to be a true Stibaropus (with a simple second labial segment 

 and the posterior tarsi present) and of the same species as the type of 

 callidus. Therefore, the label for Brazil must be in error and the name 

 is no longer available for any species of the Western Hemisphere. 



The nomenclature within the genus has been further confused by 

 an uncertainty of application of Perty's name castaneus. His descrip- 

 tion and illustration (if the delineation of the hind tarsi is ignored) 



• In the original description Perty wrote of the hind tarsi, "tarsis nullis," but in error showed them as 

 present in the illustration. Blanchard (1840) pointed out the error in the figure. Signoret (1881b) objected 

 to considering the posterior tarsi absent and wrote of them as being present and "tres petits, insertes a I'ex- 

 tremite superieurc de la troncature." Champion (1900) reported that he was unable to find tarsi on any of 

 the specimens before him. The present study found all pits and punctures of the hind tibiae occupied by 

 short, decumbent spines, and that no point for tarsal attachment exists. Thus, there appears to be no reason 

 to disagree with the original statement, "tarsis nullis" as Signoret has done. 



