NORTH AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 205 



tured depression at tbe upper inner angles of the eye. Labrum always black. 

 Thorax twice as wide as long, narrower in front, sides feebly arcuate or nearly 

 straight, the margin narrower, disc convex, smooth, nearly impuuctate, yellow 

 or slightly reddish, usually with three piceous spots placed in a triangle, the 

 anterior pair oval and larger, the posterior linear, rarely with a lateral spot on 

 each side. Scutellum black. Elytra scarcely wider than the thorax at base, 

 humeri rounded, the umbone not distinct, surface smooth or indistinctly punc- 

 tulate, color yellow; suture, submarginal vitta fthese united at apex) and median 

 vitta black, this as wide as the yellow space on either side, extreme margin of 

 elytra and outer side of epipleurse yellow, inner side piceous. Prothorax beneath 

 yellow. Metasternum usually black, abdomen yellowish or pale brown, densely 

 punctured and with very conspicuous silken pubescence. Femora reddish yel- 

 low, piceous along the upper edge, tibife and tarsi piceous. Length .22 — .26 inch. ; 

 5.5 — 6.5 mm. 



This species is closely related to caroliniana, and is difficult to dis- 

 tinguish by description. The labrum is here always piceous, the 

 metasternum in great part piceous, except in rare examples; the 

 legs are always darker, the abdomen more densely punctured and 

 the pubescence more abundant. It is also observed that crenicollis 

 has the median elytral vitta as wide or wider than the yellow on each 

 side and in the vast majority of specimens the sutural and marginal 

 vittcT? join at the tip, while in caroliniana the reverse is the case in 

 both characters. 



Occurs from New York to southwestern Texas and Mexico. 



4. I>. caroliniana Fab — Oval, slightly narrower in front. Antennae half 

 the length of the body, piceous, the underside of three basal joints pale. Head 

 entirely yellow, entirely smooth, except a punctured fovea at the upper inner 

 border of the eye, frontal carina obtuse, tubercles small. Labrum always pale. 

 Thorax convex, more than twice as wide as long, distinctly narrowed in front, 

 sides feebly arcuate, margin narrow, surface polished with very indistinct, sparse 

 punctures, two piceous spots of variable size behind the apical border, these are 

 rarely absent. Scutellum black. Elytra scarcely wider at base than the thorax, 

 humeri indistinct, yellow (when recent slightly reddish), a narrow sutural black 

 border, a marginal line not covering the edge, which very rarely joins the sutural, 

 a median vitta narrower than the yellow spaces on either side, surface usually 

 impunctate, rarely obsoletely punctulate. Body beneath reddish yellow. Epi- 

 pleurse internally piceous, sometimes entirely yellow. Abdomen closely punc- 

 tate, pubescence distinct. Legs reddish yellow, tibia? at tip and tarsi piceous. 

 Length .20 -.26 inch. ; 5—6.5 mm. 



Very little variable, except as noted above. In the Florida speci- 

 mens before me the epipleurre are entirely pale. 



With this species I have united alternata Illig- as a synonym. 

 From Illiger's description (Magaz. vi, p. 144) of caroliniana it is 

 evident that he had not seen the Fabrician type, and the description 



