PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



issued iralflSvA, sIt^I ^y '^* 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Vol. 86 Wa.hington : 1939 No. 3048 



REVISION OF THE BEETLES OF THE MELOLONTHINE 

 SUBGENUS PHYTALUS OF THE UNITED STATES 



By Lawrence W. Saylor 



Several years ago I began the study of the scarabaeid beetles of 

 the subgenus Phy talus Erichson (genus PhyUophaga Harris) with 

 the aim of bringing together in one paper data on all the described 

 species, since the literature on the group is somewhat scattered and 

 unavailable to many. It develops that several changes in taxonomic 

 standing are necessary, and the knowledge of the distribution of the 

 various species is greater than has been recorded. In this subgenus 

 the genitalia of both sexes are of great use as supplementary diag- 

 nostic characters, and except in the case of PhyUophaga (Phy talus) 

 omani Sanderson they have not been previously figured. 



I am indebted to Dr. E. A. Chapin, Dr. M. A. Sanderson, Prof. E, 

 C. Van Dyke, and Mark Robinson for the loan of material and for 

 many other kindnesses. 



The group as now defined is restricted to the American continents 

 and adjacent islands and includes more than 60 described species, 

 more than half of which inhabit Central America and the West 

 Indies. In the United States the insects are found most commonly 

 in the southern regions, specimens having been seen from Arizona, 

 New Mexico, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee and also from 

 New Jersey. I have recently received specimens of two of our 

 United States species, P. pallida Horn and P. sonora Saylor {=deMlls 

 LeConte), from northern Mexico; a check of the literature reveals 

 that these two species are apparently not recorded under any other 

 name in Mexican faunal works. 



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