312 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.52. 



above just below the attaohmont of the head, then distmctly but very 

 narrowly separated and once more apparently united before they 

 attach to the small prosternum w^hich is a depressed triangular 

 piece seemingly wedged in between the apices of the two episternal 

 lobes. The surface of the prosternal lobes usually appears to be 

 rather closely covered with long, somewhat decumbent hairs, all 

 directed downward, sometimes givmg a silvery appearance. A close 

 examination of the surface of the lobes shows that the punctures in 

 which these hairs are inserted are large enough to break up its smooth- 

 ness and to give it a roughened appearance, although the extent of 

 this appearance varies with the species and even within the species. 

 In all of the species examined the large lobes end in smooth, highly 

 polished and, at most, finely punctate areas, which flare out laterally 

 to meet the tips of the pronotal lobes. 



The mesonotum is elongate, strongly narrowed hi front, and 

 much higher than the pronotum. In all of the members of the 

 genus the parapsidal furrows are well developed, and in many of 

 them they are crenulate for at least a part of their length. The 

 parapsidal furrows are usually straight or almost straight, although 

 they frequently become wider and shallower behind and seem to 

 curve toward each other just as they meet at a variable distance 

 before the scutellar fossa, while a more or less distinct depression 

 runs from their junction to the scutellar fossa. These furrows divide 

 the mesonotum into three distinct lobes, the praescutum of the meso- 

 thorax, usually termed the median or middle lobe in doscriptions, and 

 the two parts of the mesoscutum, termed the lateral lobes. 



The somewhat oval or oblong tegulae are located just below the 

 widest portion of the mesonotum. The lateral lobes are narrowed 

 behind, and then contmued straight backwards till they end opposite 

 the hind wall of the scutellar fossa, typically in a sharp, high vertical 

 ridge which is contmuous with that running along the whole margin 

 of the mesoscutum and which rmis downward and outward ending 

 near the caudal portion of the attachment of the forewing. The 

 surfaces of all three mesonotal lobes are sparsely punctured and hairy, 

 although the extent of this varies according to the species. The 

 scutellar fossa is large and deep, oblong in shape and closed at each 

 end by a wall approximately equal in height to the surfaces it joins. 

 The hinder wall is nearly vertical but the front wall may vary from 

 nearly vertical to strongly slopmg forward. The fossa is always 

 bisected by a high carina longitudinal to the body, while there are a 

 varying number of smaller or almost obsolete carmae parallel to this 

 on each side of it. The scutellum is roughly triangular in shape, 

 tapering behind, with the sides and apex strongly rounded off, and 

 with the hmder, nearly vertical, face shghtly elevated to form a more 

 or less distinct, broad, transverse band, which is narrowest at the 



