NO. 2159. NEW SPECIES OF WEEVILS— PIERCE. 471 



clavate squamiform setae. The scales and setae vary from pale fawn 

 to dark brown and are arranged in longitudinal indistinct fasciae. The 

 median fascia in the basal half is very light cream or fawn color and 

 apicaUy a light brown. On each side of this are very dark fasciae, 

 which shade to hghter on the sides. Elytra wider than pro thorax at 

 base, with rounded humeri, sides somewhat sinuate, subparallel at 

 base, gradually approximate behind, more suddenly so at apical de- 

 cUvity; base bisinuate, apex truncate; strial punctures deep, moder- 

 ately distant, setigerous; interspaces 3, 5, 7, and 9 elevated, carinate, 

 the carina of the third emarginate near base, other interspaces flat 

 or shghtly convex, somewhat granulate, especially the first; densely 

 covered with oval, flattened, striate scales, which are smaller than 

 those of the prothorax, varying in color from white to black and ar- 

 ranged in tesselations, the predominant color being fawn; on each 

 interspace there is also a series of distant clavate, squamiform suberect 

 setae. The strial setae are finer and hair like in the sutural and lateral 

 striae and elongate squamiform in the intermediate striae. Scutellum 

 black, oval, convex, coarsely punctate. Undersides black, coarsely 

 punctate, densely squamose, with round and elongate clavate, pinkish 

 striate scales. Rostral canal reaching to middle of mesocoxae. Mes- 

 osternum behind, almost even with the posterior margin of the coxae. 

 Metasternum medianly grooved. Intercoxal process of abdomen 

 broad. First abdominal segment behind coxae subequal to each of 

 the following three segments; fifth segment transverse subtruncate 

 in male and depressed semilunar in female. Legs densely punctate, 

 squamose, sparsely setose; moderately stout; femora clavate, sinu- 

 ate, bidentate, the outer tooth being minute; tibiae arcuate, carinate 

 beneath, strongly unguiculate; tarsi densely pulvillate beneath, the 

 third joint broadly bilobed; claws simple, divaricate. 



The females at hand are all smaller than the males and all present 

 different variations in the color pattern. On fresh specimens the 

 scales present a distinct pinkish tint. Some have much more white 

 than others. Two black spots at the basal third are especially marked 

 in these specimens. 



Type.— C&t. No. 19035, U.S.N.M. 



This species belongs to the group with scroUcollis, pullatus, atropos, 

 sulcatuLus, cinereus, tesselatus, carinatus, and guadelupensis, all of 

 which have bidentate femora, and alternately elevated intervals on 

 the elytra, but it differs by the granulations of the thoracic and elytral 

 surfaces, the color of the vestiture, and various other characters from 

 all of them. 



Leiomerus alternans Boheman ( Coelosternus) is recorded on Manihot 

 manihot (Jatropha) in Guadeloupe. 



