PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The authors have been able to study all but six of the extant types. 

 The locations of the types have been indicated in the appropriate 

 places. Museums have been abbreviated thus: U.S. National Mu- 

 seum (USNM) ; Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard Univer- 

 sity (MCZ) ; Purdue University (PU) ; Cornell University (CU) ; Uni- 

 versity of Kansas (KU); California Academy of Sciences (CAS); 

 British Museum (Natiu-al History) (BMNH); Zoologisches Museum 

 der Humboldt-Universitat zu Berlin (ZM). 



In addition to the types, over 13,000 specimens were examined by 

 us diu-ing the course of this study. 



Figure 2. — Distribution of the three types of female bursae of Melanotus similis. 

 O normal © intermediate ® spiny 



Morphological terms used by us are common ones, but those which 

 might be unclear are defined. The "front" is the flat area between 

 and above the eyes, bounded anteriorly by the "frontal margin." Be- 

 low the frontal margin and occupying the central area between the 

 antennae is the "nasale." On either side of the nasale and between 

 it and the antennal bases is a pair of pits, the "parantennal foveae." 

 Within some of the larger foveae is an elevated part that gives them 

 an earlike appearance; the raised part is termed the "foveal tragus." 

 The "mandibular pit" is a clearly marked depression of varying size 

 on the lateral, exposed margin of the mandible. 



The shape and measurements of the pronotum are important tax- 

 onomic features. The length is measured along the midline and does 



