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UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 224 



Text-Figure 22. — Pattern of distribution of the 

 genus Hyperechia Schiner. 



throughout but more dense ventrally. Bristles re- 

 stricted to 4 or 5 pairs near the vertex hidden among 

 pile. The proboscis is unusually short and exception- 

 ally stout, extending beyond the face; however, it is 

 exceedingly robust and greatly swollen at the base, 

 strongly compressed dorsoventrally and with numer- 

 ous, stout, bristly hairs on the outer fourth dorsally 

 and ventrally and shorter ones at the apex. The base 

 below has abundant, long, stiff pile; the ventral sur- 

 face has a medial groove; a dorsal ridge is absent or 

 vestigial. Palpus with the first segment quite small, 

 short and more or less fused. The second segment is 

 large, thinned and excavated and leaflike; the lateral 

 surface bears bristles, particularly at the apex, the 

 minute basal segment bears a tuft of long, coarse pile. 

 Head, anterior aspect : The head is quite wide. The 

 face below the antenna is one-third the head width; 

 sides nearly parallel. Subepistomal area short and 

 small, well hidden by palpus and mystax. Face pubes- 

 cent only narrowly along the eye margin or scantdy 

 on the ventral half. The face bears dense, matted, 

 fine pile on the lateral third and the upper three- 

 fourths in the type of genus, sometimes extending over 

 the entire face. The lower, retreating portion and 

 anterior, middle portion of the gibbous part of the 

 face bears dense, long, weak bristles and stiff, long 

 pile. The antenna is attached at the upper third of 

 the head; the first segment is stout, a little longer than 

 the second segment or about the same length; the 

 second segment is small, knoblike distally, distinctly 

 attenuate basally. Third segment elongate, rather 

 slender basally, gradually widening to the middle and 

 distally but little narrowed, except near the apex; or 



it may reach its greatest width near the apex, being 

 strongly spindle-shaped basally. Apex with a rather 

 large, truncate pit with concealed spine. Pile of first 

 segment composed of rather fine hairs; second seg- 

 ment with a few, minute hairs dorsally and ventrally. 

 Front quite short, sliming, with rather dense, fine 

 pile laterally but no bristles. Vertex moderately exca- 

 vated; the ocellarium is small and low, the posterior 

 ocelli typically hidden by a transverse, dense row of 

 short pile; there may be 1 or 2 pairs of moderately 

 long, stout bristles or a single pair of fine, short bris- 

 tles, or none apparently in the type of genus, only the 

 pile being present. Anterior ocellus flat, obsolescent, 

 the posterior ocelli greatly reduced or wanting. Eyes 

 rather strongly enlarged over a limited medial area. 



Thorax : The thorax is pollinose, the mesonotal pile 

 is usually extremely short and subappressed in the 

 middle of the mesonotum and not obscuring the ground 

 color. In a few species the mesonotal pile, though 

 short and appressed, is quite dense, almost completely 

 obscuring the ground color. The dorsum of the type 

 of genus and in some others is shining and not polli- 

 nose ; it is opaque and pollinose only in Hyperechia con- 

 similis. Lateral mesonotum with weak, reduced, 

 slender bristles : 3 to 11 on the notopleuron, 1 to 4 on the 

 supraalar, 4 to 5, or none, on the postalar. The scutel- 

 lar margin has 10 or 12 pairs of very long, slender 

 bristles or only with a dense band of long, stiff pile. 

 Scutellum thick, convex with impressed rim, fine pile 

 and no pollen on the disc; the scutellum is not infre- 

 quently completely covered by a dense band of post- 

 mesonotal pile. Propleuron on all portions with dense, 

 long, rather fine pile ; upper and anterior sternopleuron, 



