March, 1906.] CAUDELL '. CyRTOPHYLLI OF THE UNITED STATES. 35 



prosternum cylindrical, the others more or less triangular. Abdomen heavy, one of 

 the segments near the base tuberculate above in the male and the penultimate segment 

 in the same sex is very broad and somewhat flaring ; supraanal plate convex and 

 longitudinally sulcate above on at least the basal two thirds, but little longer than 

 broad in either sex, apically broadly rounded, sometimes subtruncate ; subgenital 

 plate of the male prominently produced as a long flattened slightly tapering blade, 

 dorsally concave and cleft in the apical third, the two branches more or less connate. 

 Ovipositor a broad slightly curved blade, about two times as long as the pronotum, 

 slightly broadened mesially and apically quite abruptly pointed, subapically armed on 

 each side with two or three short transverse ridges and very finely and dully serrate 

 below on the apical fourth or less ; the central portion of the ovipositor is so thin as 

 to be translucid but the tip and both margins are thickened and opaque. Cerci of 

 female rounded, pointed, the tips obscurely and briefly furcate ; of male angular and 

 forked, the branches parallel (Fig. 6). Elytra very broad, and usually convex 

 giving the insect a very rotund appearance, the basal half or more of the costal area 

 in the male is subhyaline with conspicuous parallel transverse veins and the speculum 

 is exceedingly well developed (Fig. 1) ; wings ample, considerably shorter than the 

 elytra. Legs slender, weak ; anterior tibiae with slit-like foramina present on both 

 sides, hind femora about three and one half times as long as the pronotum, moderately 

 swollen on the basal half or three fifths, armed below on the outer carina with ten short 

 stout spines ; middle and anterior femora armed on both margins below with several 

 spines on the outer carinse of the middle ones and the inner carinae of the anterior 

 ones * the opposite carinse with but three or four spines, sometimes but one or two. 

 Tibiae flattened above with acute margins, the anterior pair armed above on the outer 

 carina with half a dozen stout spines, none apical, the inner carina unarmed or with 

 but one or two minute spines ; middle and posterior tibiae armed above and below on 

 both sides with a number of spines. 



Type : P. robustus Caudell. 



The description of this genus has been made in full as those of the 

 following ones are somewhat comparative with it. 



The measurements given in this paper are made as follows : Width 

 of elytra is at the widest point. Length of the ovipositor, and of the 

 subgenital plate of the male the measurement is from the extreme 

 ventral base direct to the tip. Width of the subgenital plate of the 

 male is the width at the widest point of that portion projecting beyond 

 the tip of the body. Width of the pronotum is the width at the 

 broadest point, always across the posterior part. Width of ovipositor 

 is the width at the widest point beyond the body. 



* In descriptive entomology confusion is liable when mention of the outer or inner 

 side of the anterior legs is made, when in a natural position the inner side of the 

 anterior femur is really the outer side when corellately considered. For the sake of 

 convenience the legs are always considered as being in a natural position when being 

 described, that is the posterior and intermediate ones directed backwards and the 

 anterior ones directed forwards. 



