CYDNIDAE OF THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE — FROESCHNER 529 



Bolivia: Coroico, Nuflo de Chavez, Puerto Sudrez, Provincia de Sard, Rfo 

 Cristalmayo (50 miles northeast of Cochabamba), Rurrenabaque (Beni), Santa 

 Cruz de la Sierra, Tiguipa; April, October to December. 



Paraguay: Asunci6n, Horqueta, Villarrica; May, September to December. 



Argentina: Alta Garcfa, C6rdoba, La Plata, Rosario, Tucumdn; January, 

 May, October. 



Discussion. — Ever since Signoret (1881a) suggested that Cyrto- 

 menus ciliatus Berg was the same species as another Cyrtomenus 

 described by Pahsot de Beauvois (1805) as Pentatoma ciliata, authors 

 have accepted this placement. Examinations of the original descrip- 

 tions indicate that such a position is untenable. First of all, the tw^o 

 forms were described from widely separated localities. Palisot de 

 Beauvois gave his type locality as "Etats-Uuis d'Amerique," while 

 Berg described his specimen as being from "Provincia Bonaerensis," 

 Argentina. Since no species of the genus Cyrtomenus is known to 

 occur in both of these places one doubts Signoret's conclusions. 

 Secondly, Berg described his species as having the head "subrugose," 

 a statement that can scarcely fit the species known from the United 

 States. As the two forms thus appear to be distinct, Palisot de Beau- 

 vois' name cannot be used for a South American form as was done by 

 Signoret, but must be reserved for a northern species, i.e., one from the 

 United States. In the present paper Palisot de Beauvois' name is 

 assigned to the common Cyrtomenus of the southern United States, 

 the one that has long gone under the name mirahilis of authors but 

 not of Perty. Further discussion of this point will be found under 

 the name Cyrtomenus ciliatus. 



Even though ciliatus Berg is not a synonym of ciliatus Palisot de Beau- 

 vois, it is a junior homonym and so must receive a new name. The 

 new name hergi is here proposed. 



C. hergi, whether a single species or a species complex, presents a 

 real problem because of its very extensive distribution and great 

 amount of variability in several features which appear to grade from 

 one extreme to another. This variability was most conspicuous in 

 four characters, as follows: 



(1) The length of the body varied from 6.17 to 9.40, with the larger specimens 

 mostly from the more northern localities and appearing (maybe deceptively so) 

 slightly more robust. As yet, this cannot be indicated in a definitive way and 

 so is not followed further. 



(2) Measurements indicated that the segments of the labium w^ere the most 

 variable structures, not only in the actual measurements but also in proportions. 

 Unfortunately, these naeasurements and proportions showed no discontinuity 

 that could be relied upon for separations. 



(3) Dorsal punctation was moderately uniform throughout the series except 

 that toward the sides of the pronotum, especially of the anterior lobe. Ventrally, 

 surface sculpture offered little help for separating characters except on the pro- 

 pleuras. For some time one group of specimens was separated from all the others 



501991—60 13 



