no. 3649 LEPTOFERONIA — HACKER 33 



Sixth abdominal sternum of male (fig. 16). — Lobe before apical 

 margin slightly smaller than in hatchi. 



Aedeagus (fig. 16). — Eight paramere elongate, crescent shaped. 

 Median lobe with ventral surface not concave; unsclerotized area 

 not extending onto ventral surface; no diagonal strip; tip very elon- 

 gate, broad, spatulate, in lateral view almost parallel to axis of basal 

 portion. 



Length of body. — 7.0 mm. 



Allotype female. — Same as above description of holotype except 

 pronotum with scattered punctures around longitudinal impressions; 

 elytron with only five punctures in posterior series; length 6.5 mm; 

 and usual female differences. 



Variation. — Some of the other specimens of stapedius stapedius 

 differ from the holotype and allotype in the following: head with 

 depression on front elongate posteriorly and then widening to form 

 a faint anchor-shaped depression; pronotum with outer longitudinal 

 impressions weak or absent, never long or deep, longitudinal wrinkles 

 and coarse punctures usually evident at base of pronotum; elytron 

 with striae rarely impunctate; length of body 5.5 to 7.5 mm. 



Type.— USNM 69607. 



Type-locality. — Beasore Meadows, Madera County, Calif. 



Specimens examined. — 80. 



Distribution (fig. 39). — Holotype, male, and allotype, female, 

 Beasore Meadows, T. 6 S, R. 23 E, sec. 5, Mount Diablo meridian, 

 elev, 6700 ft., Madera Comity, Calif., May 30, 1965, H. A. Hacker. 

 Also the following paratypes: 16 males, 12 females, same data as 

 holotype: 3 males, 1 female, 2 miles east of Gordon's Cabins, T. 

 6 S, R. 23 E, sec. 3, elev. 6300 ft. Other specimens came from this 

 area in Madera County, and from around Huntington Lake, Fresno 

 County. Two males collected by Van Dyke in the California Academy 

 of Sciences are from Illilouette Canyon, Yosemite Park, Mariposa 

 County. This subspecies is known to occur from elevations of 6300 

 to 8000 feet. It also may occur farther south in Fresno County. 



Remarks. — In addition to aedeagal characteristics, the main 

 differences between hatchi and stapedius are found in the convexity 

 of the pronotum and elytra and in the punctures on the ventral 

 surface. Superficially, the aedeagi appear very different. The extraor- 

 dinary tip in stapedius may be just an elongation of the short tip 

 in hatchi. Such a tip might require more support, and this may be 

 why there is no lightly sclerotized strip present. The internal sacs of 

 the aedeagi are similar. 



The name stapedius means "stirrup" and refers to the shape of 

 the median lobe of the aedeagus in lateral view. 



280-501—68 3 



