98 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 290 



Distribution. — The 85 specimens in the U.S. National Museum 

 are from Manitoba, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, 

 New York, Maryland, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Missouri, 

 Mississippi, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. 



Cryptocephalus venustus hamatus Melsheimer 



Figure 85 

 Cryptocephalus hamatus Melsheimer, 1848, p. 173. 



Pronotum: Color as v. cinctipennis; sculpture as v. venustus. 



Elytra: Eighth and marginal intervals creamy j^eUow. Dark mark- 

 ings variable, basically as a v. venustus in which dark markings of 

 each elytron expand and meet each other or suture or both; at one 

 extreme, with discal markings as v. venustus, but those normally 

 light areas creamy yeUow and clouded with reddish; at other extreme, 

 disk entirely dark, base, suture, and apex distinctly or vaguely yellow- 

 ish; striae as v. venustus. 



Presternum : As in v. venustus. 



Length: 4.0 to 5.5 mm. 



Discussion. — This is the most poorly differentiated of the recog- 

 nized subspecies of venustus. Usually there is a scutellar and/or 

 second diagonal band of yellow on each elytron. Rarely is one of these 

 complete; usually one or the other is incompletely or weakly indicated. 

 There is nearly a continuous range of intermediates between this 

 subspecies and v. cinctipennis. In v. cinctipennis, the entire elytral 

 disk is usually black, I am taldng a conservative approach in letting 

 V. hamatus stand as is. 



Distribution. — There are 24 specimens in the U.S. National Mu- 

 seum, and they are from Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, 

 Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, South 

 Dakota, and Colorado. Douglass (1929, p. 8) recorded this subspecies 

 from Kansas. 



Cryptocephalus venustus ornatulus Clavareau 



Figure 87 



Cryptocephalus ornatus Fabricius, 1798, p. 106 [preoccupied], 

 Cryptocephalus ornatulus Clavareau, 1913, p. 194. 



Pronotum: Orange to dark red, lateral and apical margins lighter or 

 yellowish, sometimes with two vague, oblique light basal spots; 

 sculpture as in v. venustus. 



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

 to black markings as foUows: entire second interval, base of fourth 

 interval (latter two often joined), at side three subequal spots, one on 

 humerus (always present, rarely expanded or reduced), middle of 



