I 



380 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 117 



most abundant in the area. A collector in Pennsylvania, for example, 

 having fiUed in a series of the green phase in his collection would 

 tend to stop collecting and save only the red phase. 



While this is perhaps neither the best method of studying this 

 phenomenon nor the most convincing way of analyzing the data, it 

 nevertheless indicates rather conclusively that pronotal coloration 

 cannot be regarded as a reliable criterion for species separation in 

 this genus, and the retention of the two Fabrician names in this 

 case obscures rather than clarifies the situation. 



Another interesting variation encountered was the overwhehning 

 preponderance of bluish rather than greenish elytra on specimens 

 from the West Indies. It too is perhaps clinal but is much less 

 understandable than that of pronotal coloration. Specimens with 

 blue elytra occur sporadically even at the northern limits of the range, 

 and a few West Indian individuals have the typical green color. 

 This blue phase was almost certainly the beetle described by Fabricius 

 as Hispa cornigera from Cuba. The Fabrician type was figured and 

 redescribed by Ohvier (1795). Both the illustration and description 

 compare perfectly with Cuban specimens studied. West Indian spec- 

 imens average slightly larger than those from the United States. 



This is one of our most abundant and widespread species. It 

 has been introduced into various parts of the world, but apparently 

 has never become established. Everts (1903) reported that it was 

 imported into the Netherlands from Havana. Olivier (1795) listed 

 it as "trouve en Angleterre" under the name Diaperis cornigera 

 (Fabricius). Reitter (1885, p. 156) identified specimens imported 

 from Havana into Vienna as Hoplocep>hala bituberculata (Olivier), 

 but Seidhtz (1898) refers these to the North American Hoplocephala 

 hicornis. A male in the British Museum collection labelled "Wiens., 

 Reitter," is indeed N. hicornis, as is a female from the Cape of Good 

 Hope (Africa) in the same collection. 



Types. — None seen. The type specimen of Hispa hicornis Fa- 

 bricius, a male, has been redescribed in minute detail and figured by 

 Staig (1940). It is located in the Hunterian collection at Glasgow 

 Univ. Staig states that this is "presumably the insect described and 

 figured by Ohvier." Type locaHty, North America. 



Two Ohio specimens of N. hicornis were said to correspond to tlie 

 type of Oplocephala gracilis Motschoulsky, in the UMMZ (Kelej- 

 nikova, in litt.). Type locality, Ohio. 



Oplocephala virescens Laporte and Brulle was listed by the authors 

 themselves as possibly beiiig a synonym of Diaperis hicornis, and the 

 Olivier (1795) figure was cited. Type locahty. North America. 



