no. 3601 TRIPLAX AND HAEMATOCHITON — JOHNSON 15 



Triplax wehrlei Boyle 



Triplax wehrlei Boyle, 1954a, p. 260. 



Diagnostic description: Ferrugineous to reddish yellow in color, 

 antennal clubs and elytra black, elytral epipleura reddish yellow, 

 scutellum piceous; body weakly nitidous, feebly pubescent on head 

 and pronotum above and on entire thorax below, abdomen with 

 stronger pubescence. Postmandibular lobes short, lateral edges 

 strongly rounded, subparallel (see Boyle, 1956, fig. 84, p. 165), termi- 

 nal segments of maxillary palpi strongly widened, width more than 3 

 times length. Antennal length equal to about two-thirds width of 

 pronotal base, club 4-segmented (or 5-segmented if one includes 

 segment 7), gradually emergent. Epistomofrontal region of head 

 with sides straight to feebly convex, apical angles of epistoma mod- 

 erately rounded, apex more strongly concave in a shallow V than 

 T. Jlavicollis. Pronotal punctures moderate size and density, sepa- 

 rated by about the distance of their diameters; cephalic punctures 

 similar in size but denser, each with a seta; elytral intervals with 

 moderately large punctures (more than twice as numerous as strial 

 punctures), and strong meshwork of fine fissures; elytra margined 

 basally. 



Variation: The 39 specimens examined ranged in size from 2.34 to 

 3.69 mm in length and 1.28 to 2.00 mm in width. The 3 specimens 

 examined by Boyle (1956) from southern Arizona ranged in length 

 from 4.14 to 4.55 mm and in width from 2.12 to 2.30 mm. 



Discussion: The 39 specimens examined is the largest series, at 

 present, known to have been studied. Heretofore, this form was 

 known only from southern Arizona. 



Male genitalia: The anterior end of the internal sac is illustrated 

 in Boyle (1956, fig. 96, p. 166). 



Type: Boyle (1956) states the following: "Male; labeled 'Pata- 

 gonia, Ariz., VII-9-30; holotype, Triplax wehrlei Boyle' (J. O. Martin; 

 collection C.A.S.)." 



Type-locality: Patagonia, Santa Cruz Co., Ariz. 



Distribution: The 39 specimens examined in this study were all 

 taken at Morelos, Mexico. Thus, the present known range of this 

 form is Arizona to Morelos, Mexico. 



Review of Genus Haematochiton Gorham 



The taxonomic history of this group began with Gorham's estab- 

 lishment of Haematochiton as a new genus in the Triplacinae in 1888 

 (1887-1899). He established H. elateroides Gorham, 1888, as the 

 type-species. Blackwelder's Neotropical catalog lists one species as 

 Haematochiton: H. elateroides Gorham, 1888. Boyle (1956) syn- 



