60 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vgL. 82 



ing brown, often with metallic luster, margins more or less pale; 

 femora of anterior legs and basal half of posterior femora usually 

 pale, this coloring somewhat variable in extent. Length, 4.3 to 5.2 

 mm ; width, 2.2 to 2.8 mm. 



Type locality. — New Mexico (as here restricted). 



Distnhution. — Arizona (Cliiricahua Mountains, Clemenceau, 

 Cochise County, Gila Valley, Globe, Graham County, Huachuca 

 Mountains, Patagonia Mountains, Santa Rita Mountains) ; New 

 Mexico (Deming, Las Vegas, Mesilla, Sandia Mountains) ; Kansas 

 (Douglas County) ; Mexico and Guatemala. 



Food plant. — Amaranthus palmeri S. Watson (Brisley). 



ReTiiarks. — This species, described from New Mexico and Arizona, 

 also occurs in Kansas and extends southward through Mexico at least 

 to Guatemala. It is easily recognized by its bright lustrous elytra, 

 which are more densely punctate than in any other dark-colored 

 species except triangularis. The diagonally separated colors of the 

 posterior femora are striking. This pattern, however, is not peculiar 

 to this species, as many specimens of xanthomelas show a similar 

 marking. 



29. DISONYCHA VARICORNIS Horn 



Plate 6, Figuiie 34 



Disonycha varicornis Horn, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 16, p. 210, 1889 (Texas 

 and Peninsula of California ; type in Horn collection, Acad. Nat. Sci. 

 Philadelpliia). 



Description. — Robust, oblong oval, with lustrous blue or purple, 

 rarely green elytra, and pale head, prothorax, and undersurface, 

 except for darkened tibiae and tarsi and apex of hind femora. 

 Head with interocular space barely half width of head; interan- 

 tennal area scarcely carinate, not at all produced ; a circle of coarse 

 punctures about fovea on each side near eye; entirely pale except 

 labrum, which is occasionally brown. Antennae with third, fourth, 

 and fifth joints subequal, the fourth slightly the longest; first 4 and 

 last 1 or 2 pale, the rest reddish brown. Prothorax approximately 

 twice as wide as long, convex, without depressions, sides with ex- 

 planate margin widening anteriorly and slightly notched behind 

 the apex; surface shining, very indistinctly punctate, entirely pale, 

 sometimes with indefinite pale brown shadings suggestive of spot- 

 ting. Scutellum usually black, occasionally dark reddish brown. 

 Elytra lustrous blue or purple, rarely green, minutely and not densely 

 punctate; broadly oblong and convex, with humeri well marked 

 and a short intrahumeral sulcus. Body beneath shining, very in- 

 distinctly pubescent, pale, the tibiae and tarsi and apex of posterior 

 femora reddish brown. Length, 5 to G,2 mm; width, 3 to 3.3 mm. 



