no. 3601 TRIPLAX AND HAEMATOCHITON JOHNSON 3 



Methods and terminology. — Male genitalia were prepared by 

 relaxing the beetle for about an hour in warm water to which detergent 

 had been added. After this relaxing, the abdomen was separated 

 from the thorax and elytra, and the unsclerotized mass of tissue was 

 removed from the sternites. The abdominal sternum was then placed, 

 along with the rest of the beetle, on a new point and pin. The 

 genitalia and associated soft organs were then soaked overnight in 

 10 percent KOH in "Plant Industry" Syracuse dishes. After no 

 more than 24 hours the genitalia were separated from associated 

 residue, rinsed, and manipulated so that the internal sac was forcibly 

 everted to show pigmentation and sclerotization of its inner surface. 

 The anterior end of the internal sac was examined after being stained 

 with merthiolate. 



"Neotropical" as used in this work refers to all of the New World 

 south of the United States, i.e., all of Mexico, Central America, the 

 Antilles, and South America. 



The terminology of external morphology is essentially that of 

 Torre-Bueno (1962), while male genitalia terminology is essentially 

 that of Sharp and Muir (1912). 



The use of two words to indicate color refers to a blending of color 

 hues. Thus, yellowish brown implies more brown than yellow. 

 In all other cases involving color, the terminology is that of Torre- 

 Bueno (1962). 



Acknowledgments. — The author was fortunate in having had the 

 opportunity to examine 249 Triplacinae specimens from 13 museums 

 and personal collections. To the following museums and personal 

 collectors the author would like to extend his thanks for the loan of 

 these specimens: American Museum of Natural History (AMNH); 

 British Museum (Natural History) , London (BM) ; California 

 Academy of Sciences (CAS) ; Chicago Natural History Museum 

 (CNHM); Department of Agriculture (Canada), Entomology Re- 

 search Institute (DA) ; D. R. Whitehead personal collection, Uni- 

 versity of Alberta, Alberta, Canada (DRW) ; M. Alvarenga personal 

 collection, Rio de Janiero, Brazil (MA) ; Museum of Comparative 

 Zoology, Harvard (MCZ) ; Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 

 Paris, France (MN) ; University of Arizona (UA) ; University of 

 California, Berkeley (UCB); United States National Museum 

 (USNM); W. W. Boyle, Pennsylvania State University (WWB). 



The author owes special thanks to M. Alvarenga, Rio de Janiero, 

 Brazil, for his loan of specimens; to W. W. Boyle, Pennsylvania State 

 University, under whose guidance work on Triplax was undertaken; 

 to A. D escarp entries of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 

 Paris, for lending the type of T. cruentipennis Lacordaire; and to 



