AKT. 9 WEST INDIAN BUPEESTIDAE FISHER 171 



distinctly bisinuate. Scutellum small, rounded or transverse. Elytra 

 moderately elongate, subdepressed strongly acuminate posteriorly 

 and entirely covering the pygidium; lateral margins dentate; apex 

 rounded or armed with strong teeth. Sternal cavity formed by the 

 mesosternum and metasternum, the lateral branches of the former 

 rather elongate. Mestasternum truncate or feebly lobecl in front. 

 Prosternum with the anterior margin truncate, and not lobecl; pro- 

 sternal process narrow, expanded behind the coxal cavities, and ac- 

 uminate at apex. Posterior coxae feebly dilated internally; anterior 

 margin strongly bisinuate; posterior margin nearly straight. Legs, 

 feebly robust; anterior femora more robust than posterior ones; 

 tibiae normal, slender and cylindrical; tarsi elongate, and slender. 

 Body oblong and rather strongly depressed. 



This genus contains a large number of species and has a wide 

 distribution, but the species are more numerous in North and South 

 America, and Europe. 



The species are variable in form and color and their number 

 have been greatly exaggerated by the great variation in the color 

 and elytral markings, and also on account of a few species having 

 a distribution which covers the entire circumpolar region, these 

 conditions have caused much confusion and synonymy. So far, 

 only two species have been reported from the West Indies, both of 

 which are found in the United States, and may have been introduced 

 into the islands in lumber. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES 



1. Front of head sparsely, irregularly punctate, and strongly shining; elytra 

 usually with yellow markings, sometimes entirely black. 



notata (Castelnau and Gory). 

 Front of liead densely, coarsely punctate, and opaque ; elytra always uni- 

 formly black acuminata (De Geer). 



MELANOPHILA NOTATA (Castelnau and Gory) 



Apatura notata Castelnau and Gory. Men. Bupr., vol. 2, 1838, p. 4, pi. 1, 



fig. 5 ; addenda p. 2. 

 MelanopMla notata Cheveolat, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, ser. 4, vol. 7, 1867,. 



p. 580 (separates p. 156). — Gundlach, Contribucion a la Entom. Cuba, 



vol. 3, pt. 5, 1891, pp. 163-164, no. 1705. 

 MelanopMla luteosir/nata Mannerheim, Bull. Soc. Imp. Nat. Moscou. vol. 



10, No. 8, 1837, p. 70. 

 Phaeuops luteosignata Ziegler, Proc. Acad Nat. Sci. Phila., vol. 2, 1845, p. 



267.— Dejean, Cat. Coleopt., 3 ed., 1836, p. 89. 

 MelanopMla opaca LeConte, Trans. Amer. Philos. Soc, n. ser., vol. 11, 



1857, p. 213. 



Form broadly elongate and strongly depressed, broadly rounded 

 in front and strongly acuminate behind; head and pronotum black. 



