98 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 05 



edge, situated closer to the apex than base, and feebly dentate on 

 the exterior margin. Anterior tibiae suddenly reflexed at middle 

 and not dilated at apex; middle pair strongly arcuate; posterior 

 pair straight. 



Female. — Differs from the male in having the front of head less 

 pubescent and the chevron on vertex more distinct, anterior and 

 middle tibiae nearly straight, the last ventral segment of abdomen 

 with a broad median carina at base, a depression on each side, and 

 the apex with two shallow semi-circular emarginations, the median 

 tooth short and the lateral ones long and acute. 



Length, 12-16 mm. ; width, 5-7 mm. 



There has been considerable confusion in regard to the identifica- 

 tion of this species. This insect is a common and destructive enemy 

 of the red mangrove {Rhizophora mangle Linnaeus) but did not 

 become of any great economic importance until about the year 1916, 

 when it attacked the Australian Pine {Casuarina equisetifolia Fors- 

 ter) planted in southern Florida for shade and ornamental purposes. 

 As this insect is rather widely distributed throughout the West In- 

 dies, and the Australian pine is also being planted in these islands, 

 it may become an economic problem in that region. The specimens 

 do not seem to vary except in the coloration of the elytral foveae, in 

 some specimens the foveae are unicolorous with the elytra, while in 

 others they are distinctly purplish. It has a rather wide distribu- 

 tion, having been taken in nearly all of the Antilles and the southern 

 part of Florida. So far, there are no authentic records of it having 

 been collected in Cuba, and this is rather strange, since its natural 

 food plant is found on this island. The only other species with 

 which it could be confused is tumida Chevrolat, described from 

 Cuba, but is easily separated from that species by the anterior 

 femora having a large obtuse tooth on the outer margin. 



Fabricius (1787) described the species from " Tranquebarica " 

 under the name impressa, which he had previously used (1775) for 

 another species from " Indiis." Gmelin (1788) proposed the new 

 name tranqueharica for this species. Olivier (1790) proposed a new 

 name excavata for the same species, and this name was used by 

 Fabricius in all his later works. Fabricius and Olivier, either did 

 not loiow of Gmelin's work, or would not recognize his names, as 

 the name tranqueharica was not used by either of these writers in 

 their works. Mannerheim (1837) described the species as fraterna 

 from Porto Rico, and vugosa from an unknown locality. Castelnau 

 and Gory (1837) described denticulata from Guadeloupe, and gives 

 an excellent figure of the species, which is the species found in 

 Florida, but in their addenda places it as a synonym of fraterna 

 Mannerheim. Gorj*^ (1840) described denticoUis from Colombia, 

 which is not different from denticulata. Chevrolat (1867) records 



