J 



452 PROCEEDINGS OF THE \ ITIONAL UUSEl 1/. vol.38. 



in other earwigs. This variation consists, in addition to the abbre- 

 viation of the wings already referred to, of the strength of the teeth 

 of the male forceps, intensity of coloration from lighl reddish brown 

 to blackish castaneous, and size. As L. unidentata is the earliest 

 name which seems applicable to the species, I accept it and sink as 

 synonymous also the following names: L. guttata Scudder, L. melan- 

 cholia/ Scudder, and L. pulchella Serville. None of the descriptions 

 show any valid specific characters for discriminating these species, 

 and as the burden of proof lies with the describer, they may be safely, 

 until such time as some further author, with ample material and a 

 complete familiarity of the group, shall prove them to be distinct. 



/.. pulchella Serville [1839, p. 42], from New York, is fully winged; 

 so is L. guttata Scudder [1876 3 , p. 2651, from Texas; it is true Scudder 

 compares his type with //. pulchella, but he does riot succeed, in my 

 opinion, in making a good case. It should be possible to find in the 

 Dortheastern States specimens agreeing with Scudder's description of 

 L. guttata from Texas. 



L. melancholica Scudder [lN7ti :; , p. 267], also from Texas, is also a 

 winged form, hut t he wings have no yellow spots; t he male, moreover 

 is unknown. It is described as a "slender, graceful, and very dark 

 colored species, related to L. burgessi." I possess a dark female from 

 Santo Domingo which agrees with this description. I look upon 

 /.. melancholica merely as a dark-winged form. 



L. burgessi Scudder [1876 3 , p. 266], described from Florida, is ;i 

 wingless form, and consequently the appearance is altered; but, 

 structurally, syntypes of Scudder in my collection are not specifically 

 different from Bolivar's specimen of A. unidentat// from Cuba, nor from 

 specimens from Trinidad, in the I . S. National Museum, determined 

 by Caudell as /,. brunnea. I possess specimens from Thomasville, 

 Georgia, which are structurally indistinguishable from L. burgessi, 

 hut much darker in color. 



To recapitulate, all the brown nearctic Labias should, in my opin- 

 ion, be regarded as a single variable species; to it we give the oldest 

 applicable name A. //nidi ulitlo Palisot <le Beauvois, and sink as synony- 

 mous the following: L. pulchella Serville [1839, p. 42]; L. guttata 

 Scudder [1876 3 , p. 265]; /.. burgessi Scudder |is7(i :: . p. 266]; and /,. 

 melancholica Scudder [1876 3 , p. 267], 



United States. Florida. (/.. burgessi) "agrees with a female type 

 in Scudd. coll. A. X. Caudell." North Carolina, Dept. Agric. Entom. 

 Cat. No. 120, "collected and donated by \V. F. FisW [Caudell, 

 L901 1 , p. 168.] (/.. burgessi, female.) 



Porto Rico. Aguadilla, "A. gravidula," and one female. 



Jamaica. Male, labeled '/.. arachidis." 



Trinidad. San Francisco Mountains, four males and three females. 

 (Z-. pulchella. ) 



Cuba. — Cayamas, female (Schwarz). (L. pulchella.) 



