NO. 2159. NEW 8PECIES OF WEEVILS— PTERCE. 463 



7. Antennae straight, or very feebly geniculate (Orthoceri) 8. 



Antennae geniculate; maxillary palpi abnormal rigid, conical, the joints dimin- 

 ishing successively; labrum absent; beak well developed, variable in form. 



CURCULIONOIDEA, Hopkins. 



8. Maxillary palpi normal, flexible; labrum distinct 9. 



Maxillary palpi rigid, conical, the joints diminishing successively; labrum never 



distinct 10. 



9. Anterior coxae globose; pygidium more or less exposed; submentum not pedun- 



culate PLATYSTOMOIDEA, new superfamily . 



Anterior coxae conical; pygidium not exposed. 



DOYDIRHYNCHOIDEA, new superfamily. 

 10. Submentum pedunculate; mentum often very small; maxillae free. 



ATTELABOIDEA, new superfamily. 

 Submentum without a peduncle, or any vestige of one; mentum covering the 

 maxillae, except sometimes at their base; beak more or less robust, never slender 

 and filiform; scrobes attaining, or almost so, the commissure of the mouth. 



BRACHYCEROIDEA, new superfamily. 



The superfamily Mylabroidea is the old family Bruchidae. The 

 genera in this group have become greatly confused. The name 

 Bruchus was first used by Geoffrey in 1762 for two species, only one 

 of which was definitely associated by the quotation given with a 

 name. This was Cerambyx fur Linnaeus which becomes ty]>e of 

 Bruchus and causes that genus to replace Ptinus Linnaeus. Bruchus 

 Linnaeus was not described until 1767, being based on {'pisi Linnaeus) 

 pisorum Linnaeus. Besides being preoccupied it was an isogenotype 

 of Mylahris Geoffrey 1762, which was based on three species, the fiirst 

 identified being No. 1, pisorum Linnaeus, and of Laria Scopoli 1763, 

 of which Bedel in 1901 designated the type as (salicis Scopoli) pis- 

 orum Linnaeus. 



The superfamily Aglycyderoidea includes the families Aglycy- 

 deridae and Proterhinidae. 



The superfamily Brentoidea, based on the genus Brentus Fabricius, 

 is the old family Brenthidae. 



The superfamily Platystomoidea is the old family Anthribidae. 

 It is to be divided into the families Bruchelidae (Urodonidae), Platy- 

 stomidae and Choragidae. The generic name Anthribus fares as 

 badly as Bruchus. The name Anthribus was first used by Geoffrey 

 in 1762 for four species, of which only one was at the time identifiable 

 by the quotations given. This was Dermestes pulicarius Linnaeus 

 now placed in the NitiduHdae. Miiller in 1764 gave Anthribus the 

 same meaning; De Geer in 1775 based his genus on a species ruber; 

 Miiller in 1776 based liis genus on a species glaber; Clairville's 1798 

 conception was based on ruficollis, a Salpingid; Fabricius in 1790 gave 

 the name the sense which has since been followed. As the name was 

 many times excluded from the Rhynchophora the choice for the 

 typical genus fell to the next oldest valid name in the superfamily, 

 which was Platystomos Schneider (1791), of which Bedel (1881) 

 designated the type as alhinus Linnaeus. 



