8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.85 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF PHYTHOLAEMA 



1. Thoracic disk distinctly bicolored, much paler at center of disk, 



and the latter very sparsely punctured, hair usually white; 



elytra strongly punctured but not rugose mutabilis 



Thoracic disk unicolorous or nearly so. center of disk sparsely 

 to densely punctured, hair usually brownish; elytra strongly 

 punctured, subrugose to rugose 2 



2. Middle tarsi noticeably shorter than tibiae ; elytral striae other 



than sutural hardly evident ; thoracic disk sparsely punctured 

 and sparsely pubescent at center ; color piceocastaneous, clypeus 



and under surface lighter fiavipes 



Middle tarsi equal to or longer than tibiae ; elytral striae quite 

 obvious ; thoracic disk densely punctured and densely hairy at 

 center ; color variable 3 



3. Color entirely pale testaceous, thorax slightly ruf otestaceous ; 



tarsal claws with basal tooth hardly obvious or weakly de- 

 veloped hernnaiini pallida 



Color rufo- to piceocastaneous ; tarsal claws with a strong basal 

 tooth herrmanni 



PHYTHOLAEMA MUTABILIS Blanchard 



FiGtrEE 1, a-c 



Phytholaema uuitaiilis Blanchakd, Catalogue de la collection entomologique, 



vol. 1, p. 218, 1850. 

 Areoda rmitahilis Solier, in Gay's Historia fisica y politica de Chile . . ., Zoology, 



vol. 5, p. 93, 1851. 

 Phytoloema mutahilis GmMAiN, Anal. Univ. Chile, vol. 108, p. 1000. 1901. 



Testaceous to ruiotestaceous ; thorax bicolored, rufocastaneous at 

 sides, testaceous at center ; head except clypeus with greenish luster ; 

 clypeus, legs, and elytra testaceous. Clypeus with short erect hair, 

 apex very strongly reflexed, sides nearly parallel. Antennae with 

 fifth male segment three-fourths the length of the sixth, and fifth 

 female segment one-fourth the length of the sixth or less. Thorax 

 very finely sparsely punctured, subglabrous at center of disk, other- 

 wise with long whitish hairs. Scutellum entirely impunctate. Elytra 

 subglabrous, moderately coarsely punctured, not rugose, without any 

 raised striae. Metasternum usually nude. Middle tarsi noticeably 

 shorter and hind tarsi a little shorter than their respective tibiae. 

 Length, 12 to 14 mm ; width, 6.5 to 7.8 mm. 



Specimens examined : 6 males and 7 females, from ''Santiago" and 

 from "Chile." 



A very distinct species by the characteristic coloring, the bicolored 

 thorax, and the genitalia of the male. The male and female antennae 

 differ in length from those of the same sex of herrmanni as noted in 

 the diagnoses. 



