AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 311 



Revision of the BRUCIIID.E of the United States. 



BY GEO. H. HORN, M. D. 



The family Bruchidie contains few genera, but very many species 

 distributed in great part in the tropical and warmer temperate regions 

 of the globe. They all undergo their metamorphoses in the seeds of 

 various plants, principally Legimiinosae, and frequently by their num- 

 bers cause great injury and loss in those seeds which form part of the 

 food of man. In this list we find peas, beans, lentils, etc. Each 

 species appears to prefer a special plant, or at most, restricts its attacks 

 to the species of one genus. 



In our fauna we have three geuera ; 

 Anterior eoxse entirely separated by presternum. 



Hind tibiae with two slender articulated spurs S'termophagus. 



Hind tibiae without articulated spurs Caryoborus. 



Anterior coxse very prominent contiguous at apex. 



Hind tibiae without articulated spurs Bruchus. 



The rather broad intercoxal process of presternum and the shorter 

 and more oval coxal joints appear to me of sufficient moment to war- 

 rant the separations of the species alluded to Caryoborus arthriticus as 

 distinct from the other species of Bruchus. The elytra are also longer 

 and almost entirely hide the pygidium, which is nearly horizontal, and 

 the antennas very long and the eyes coarsely granulated, although 

 these two last characters are by no means absent among the true 

 Bruchus. 



The position the Bruchidae should occupy in relation to the other 

 tetramerous families appears not to be definitely settled, most authors 

 placing them near the Rhynchophora, while others, among the Curcu- 

 lionidaa themselves. Lacordaire admits that their organization allies 

 them closely to the Chrysomelidae. This latter place is certainly their 

 position, and if really entitled to rank as a distinct family from the 

 Chrysomelidae ("which is eveu very doubtful) they should immediately 

 succeed them in a natural arrangement. They are certainly not 

 Rhynchophora. 



SPERJIOPM AGUS, Schon. 

 SpermopJiagus, Schon., Curculionides, i., p. 102. 



Presternum entirely separating the coxae. Hind coxae very broad, 

 metasternal parapleurae broad parallel. Hind tibiae with two unequal 

 articulated spurs, the inner one shorter and placed at right angles to 



