22 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.80 



COCCINELLA TRIFASCIATA Linnaeus 



Coccinella trijasciata Linnaeus, Systema naturae, p. 365, 1758. — Leng, 1903, p. 



200. 

 Coccinella perplexa Mulsant, 1850, p. 1021. — Casey, 1899, p. 89. — Johnson, 



1910, p. 57.— Leng, 1920, p. 216. 



Broadly oval, strongly convex. Head in females with white spots 

 near the eyes, in males with a broad white stripe across the front. 

 Pronotum with triangular or quadrangular white marks in the ante- 

 rior angles, and with white anterior margin, pronotal epipleura with 

 quadrangular white marks in the anterior angles. Mesepimera and 

 metepimera, and usually also the posterior ends of the metepisterna, 

 white. Pronotum densely and finely punctulate, punctures on the 

 elytra nearly as dense as those on the pronotum but considerably 

 stronger. Elytra yellow or orange with three transverse black fasciae ; 

 the anterior fascia is common to both elytra (it is the result of the 

 fusion of the spots 1 + K+l). The median fascia (spots 2 + 3), and 

 the posterior fascia (spots 4 + 5) do not reach the suture or the 

 <5xternal margin. Length of the body, 4.5-5.5 mm. 



Male genitalia (figs. 10, 19). — Penis short and wide, pyriform in 

 shape, its distal end extended into a short process. Paramera only 

 slightly, if at all, shorter than penis. Basal plates not wider than 

 long. Sipho very short and thick, the siphonal capsule rather small 

 and rounded. 



Female genitalia (fig. 27). — Receptaculum seminis long and slender, 

 cornu almost pointed at the end, ramus wide, infundibulum not 

 dilatated at the posterior end. 



The American representatives of this species were described under 

 the name perplexa Mulsant. The identity of perplexa Mulsant with 

 the palaearctic species trifasciata Linnaeus was the subject of a dispute 

 between Casey and Leng (see Casey, 1908). I find myself in a com- 

 plete agreement with Leng, who regards perplexa as a mere synonym 

 of trifasciata. The only difference between the American and the 

 Eurasiatic specimens of this species is the presence of the white 

 margin of the pronotum in the former. Johnson (1910) found an 

 individual of perplexa having no white margin on the pronotum. 

 Furthermore, this character is sometimes found also in Asiatic speci- 

 mens (Dobzhansky, 1926). The genitalia of the American and the 

 Asiatic specimens are quite alike (cf. Dobzhansky, 1926, fig. 10). It 

 seems that perplexa can not be considered even as a subspecifically 

 distinct form, and therefore the name should be dropped. 



Geographic distribution. — Localities as follows: 



Nova Scotia: Truro. 

 New Brunswick: Hampton. 

 Quebec: St. Hilaire, Lavaltrie, Fort Coulonge. 



Ontario: Ottavva, Huntsville, North Bay, Toronto, Chatham, Hudson Bay 

 (University of Minnesota collection). 



