536 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. m 



rating features, as in the following statements of comparison with 



obtusus Uhler vestigiatus Distant 



Head: More deeply emarginate cleft at apices 



in front 

 Pronotum: Punctures less numerous sparingly, strongly punctate 



Scutellum : Very coarsely and spar- very sparingly but very coarsely 



ingly punctured punctate. 



Additional comments on the close relationship of the present form 

 with the other species of the subgenus will be found in the introductory- 

 discussion of the subgenus and under the species ciliatus. The present 

 understanding of this species would not have been possible without 

 the full answers that Dr. W. E. China kindly suppHed to questions 

 about the types of Dallas, Walker, and Distant, and the replies from 

 Dr. R. I. Sailer concerning Uhler's type of obtusus. 



Ecological data are sparse for this species. One specimen from 

 Texas was labelled simply "corn." Uhler, in the notes accompanying 

 his original description of obtusus, reported that considerable wear 

 and breakage were evident on the head and front legs of some of his 

 specimens. Many of the specimens examined during the present 

 study, especially those from Texas and Arizona, also showed consid- 

 erable wear. In fact, one series of these specimens had most of the 

 margin of the head worn off past the row of submarginal setigerous 

 punctures and showed marked abrasion as far back as the interocular 

 area. The anterior tibiae of these specimens were literally reduced to 

 virtually unarmed stumps, the tarsi and all spines except those on the 

 ventral margin were broken away and even the prominent tubercles 

 that gave rise to the dorsal row of spines were nearly all completely 

 worn down so that the width was reduced and the dorsal margin was 

 only slightly crenulate. Since the members of this species show so 

 much drastic wear, one wonders what significance this might have. 

 As conjecture, one might suggest that the insects live in a more abra- 

 sive soil or are more aggressive in their burrowing. There was nothing 

 but further conjecture to suggest that the cuticula might be softer 

 here than elsewhere in the family. 



Cyrtomenus (Cyrtomenus) mirabilis (Perty) 



Plate figure 246 



Cijdnus mirabilis Perty, 1830, p. 166, pi. 33, fig. 6 (erroneously labeled as "muta- 



bilis" on caption of plate). 

 Cyrtomenus mutahihs Dallas, 1851, p. 112. — Walker, 1867, p. 147 (part). 

 Cyrtomenus nurabilis St&l, 1876, p. 18. — Distant, 1880, p. 3 (part).— Signoret, 



1881b, p. 199, pi. 6, fig. 19 (part).— Lethierry and Severin, 1893, p. 62 ipart). 

 Macroscytus umbonatus Berg, 1879, p. 14, 



Diagnosis. — The absence of a partial, postmedian row of setigerous 

 punctures on lateral third of sternites IV to VI and the large ocelli, 



