178 AMERICAN (^OLEOPTEEA. 



A. cupresceiis Mann.. Bull. Mosc, 1843, 289. —Obion gum, fusco seneum. 

 ftriseo pubescens, rostro lungitudine thoracis cum capite, arcuato, thorace anterius 

 angustato, profunde puuctato, postice caiialiculato ; elytris oblongo ovatis, punc- 

 tato sulcatis, punctis, in sulcis satis approximatis. Lougit. cum rostro li lines, 

 Latit. i lin. 



Hab — In insula Sitkha. 



A. recondiluni Gyll., Sch. Cure, V. 432.— Oblongo ovatum, nigro ieneum, 

 subnitidum glabrum ; thorace sub-conico, obsolete punctato, non canaliculato ; 

 elytris amplis, remote punctato sulcatis; iuterstitiis planis, sublaevibus; rostro 

 tenui arcuato. Rostrum longius magis tenue arcuato, cuput breve, latum, atrum. 

 fronte impressa punctulata, vertice elevato sublgevi ; oculi semi-globosi. nigri ; 

 rostrum longitudiue capite cum thoracis teuue, cylindricum, atrum uitidum. 

 Antennae mediocres. uigrae. Thorax latitudine baseos fere longior, anterius 

 angustior, sub-conicus, apice truncatus lateribus obliquus vix ampliatus; basi 

 jeviter bisinuatus, supra modice convexus, obsolete punctatus. postice non cana- 

 liculatus nigro seneus, subnitidus; scutellura tuberculiforme, atrum. Elytra 

 ampla, antice thoracis basi fere duplo latiore, humeris rotundatis, calloso elevato 

 instructis; lateribus pone medium adhuc nonnihil latioribus, apice conjunctim 

 rotuiidato, thorace triplo longiora, supra convexa sat profunde sulcata, sulcis 

 remote punctatis, atrum, parum nitidum. Pedes longiusculi, validi, atri, tarsis 

 cinereo pubescentibus. 



Hab. — Pennsylvania. 



PODAPION. 



This genus was erected by Prof. Riley, Bull. Brooklyn Ent. Soc, 

 VI, p. 61, for the reception of a singular Apionid bred from galls 

 on two-year old twigs of Pinus uiops. For a description of this 

 insect (P. gallicola Riley) and its habits, the student should consult 

 the above reference. 



The structural characters used as a basis for generic separation by 

 Prof. Riley are slight, as he virtually admits when he says " Where 

 such uniformity obtains in a group (xlpioninte), characters may be 

 considered generic which otherwise would have doubtful generic 

 value." The greater width of the tarsal joints seems to have been 

 the chief character relied upon, and this, indeed, is the only one 

 mentioned by Prof Smith in his Synopsis. Further experience 

 shows that this distinction does not hold good ; the proportions of 

 the tarsal joints in Apion vary widely, and in one species at least, A. 

 xanthoxijli, the joints are quite as strongly dilated as in gallicola. 

 Podapion does, however, depart so much in size and general facies 

 from all the rest of our Apionids that much less radical structural 

 divergence is necessary than if habital peculiarities were slight or 

 wanting ; and while the tarsi fail to yield the evidence desired, I 

 have observed two other differences which seem to me to meet the 

 requirements. 



