HE VISION OF SUBGENUS PHYTALUS — SAYLOR 159 



In the course of the present studies, I examined nearly every one 

 of the United States species and also well over a 100 species of 

 Neotropical Phyllophaga and allied genera, and in addition more 

 than 50 species of Oriental Brahminu^ Holotrichia^ and allied groups. 

 The necessity is apparent of suppressing the name Brahmina entirely 

 and of ranking the American Phytalus and the Oriental Holotrichia 

 as subgenera of Phyllophaga. This action has been suggested at 

 one time or another, in whole or in part, by nearly every serious 

 student of the group from Blanchard's time on (Blanchard, Bates, 

 Arrow, Chapin, and Saylor), and the change was finally made by 

 me in a recent paper (see footnote 1). 



The position of other related genera, Listrochelus and Chirodmes, 

 is also open to some question; the former name seems to be valid 

 for subgeneric use if restricted to a certain group of species, as has 

 been done in a revision now in preparation by Dr. E. A. Chapin and 

 myself. The genus Chirodines was separated on the basis of only 

 a slight difference in the claws, and when thoroughly studied may 

 quite possibly be shown to merit only subgeneric status, or may 

 entirely fail of recognition. 



Little is known regarding the economic status of the majority of 

 the species, but P. pallida Horn has been observed doing a good deal 

 of damage in Arizona by eating the foliage of rose bushes, young 

 fruit trees, and walnut trees, often stripping them. 



If the subgenus Phytalus is restricted to those species of Phyllo- 

 phaga having the very narrowly cleft tarsal claws, it embraces the 

 following species in our fauna: P. hilohatata Saylor, P. georgiana 

 Horn, P. omani Sanderson, P. pallida Horn, P. sandersonia Saylor, 

 P. sonora Saylor, and P. ohsoleta vanaJleri Schaeffer. The males 

 usually have a flat or convex abdomen, as viewed from the side, and 

 the antennal club is as long or nearly as long as the funicle; the 

 females usually have the abdomen concave and robust and the an- 

 tennal club much shorter than the funicle. 



