96 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 290 



VII-24-55 (one male, one female) , VII-29-55 (two males, one female), 

 VII-17-57 (one female), VII-27-57 (one male, one female), VII-2-59 

 (four males, four females), VII-9-59 (five females), VII-23-59 (one 

 female), VII-30-59 (one male, one female), VIII-7-59 (four males, 

 five females), VIII-15-59 (one female), VII-3-G1 (one female), 

 VII-7-61 (one female), VII-5-61 (one female), VII-5-61 (one male, 

 one female), VII-18-61 (one female), VII-22-61 (one male, one fe- 

 male), VII-29-61 (one male), VIII-2-61 (two females), VIII-6-61 

 (one female), VIII-18-61 (two males). Most of the specimens are in 

 Ohio State University, but the last five are in the U.S. National 

 Museum. 



Discussion. — The species is similar to the description of C. oh~ 

 scuripennis Jacoby (1880, p. 54) described from Guatemala. In 

 vapidus, the antennae are orange throughout; those of obscuripennis 

 are described as having the terminal segments black. The nam^e 

 vapidus (meaning dull) refers to the body color of this species. 



Cryptocephalus venustus venustus Fab. 



Figures 86, 139 



Cryptocephalus venustus Fab., 1787, p. 79. 

 Cryptocephalus flaccidus Suffrian, 1852, p. 239. 



Pronotum: Orange to dark red, nearly always with two light, 

 oblique basal spots, lateral and apical margins vaguely lighter, gener- 

 ally creamy yellow to light orange; light markings and margins never 

 sharply delimited ; punctation dual, larger punctures small to moderate 

 in size, always coarse. 



Elytra: Creamy yellow to light orange, each elytron with two dark 

 red to (usually) black, nearly always distinct vittae from base of 

 second, third, and fourth intervals to apex of second interval and 

 from humerus to apex of fourth to seventh intervals; infrequently 

 dark markings vague, reduced, or interrupted, rarely somewhat ex- 

 panded. With nine rows of punctures (sometimes apparently eight), 

 rows five to eight crowded, one or more often confused or reduced; 

 punctures as large, dense as usual, finer at elytral apex; inner and 

 outer rows distinct at apex, nearly always clearly meeting. 



Prosternum: Anterior margin in male produced ventrally into a 

 distinct, stout spine; anterior margin in female produced into a broad, 

 short, pointed lobe, often spinelike. 



Length: 4.1 to 6.0 mm. 



Discussion. — The series of v. venustus before me contains the male 

 of V. simplex and probably also the male of v. ornatulus (see notes 

 under these subspecies). The single specimen I know to be a male of 

 V. simplex (collected in copula), I find to be indistinguishable from 



