18 AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGY. 



of many of these genera appear to be too obscure, and of others 

 not sufficiently important to justify their collective adoption. By 

 far the greater portion of them, however, will probably tend to 

 the elucidation of this difficult part of the system, and amongst 

 these may be ranked the genus Calandra of Clairville, distin- 

 guished by obvious and striking traits. 



The history of many species of this group is highly interesting 

 and important, and we propose to represent, in a future volume, 

 those that are so destructive to the wheat, rice, and maize. 



[The species here described belong to the genus Sphen- 

 opJiortis Sch. — Leg.] 



Calandra tredecim-punctata. — Specific character. Above 

 sanguineous ; five spots on the thorax, four on each elytrum, and 

 scutel, black ; head and all beneath black. 



Ryncliophorus tredecim-punctatus Herbst. vol. vi. p. 10, pi. 

 60, fig. 5. 



Calandra crihraria Fabr. Syst. Eleut. part 2, p. 434. 



CurcuUo tredecim-punctatus Melsheimer's Catalogue, p. 28. 

 No. 597. 



Desc. Body punctured, beneath black, with a cinereous shade 

 in a particular light, and with numerous large punctures j head 

 black ; rostrum, dilated portion not longer than broad, but more 

 dilated at tip, and with an impressed longitudinal line ; thorax 

 sanguineous, with five black spots, of which two are orbicular, 

 and placed on each side, and one is central, fusiform, sometimes 

 rounded ; scutel black ; elytra sanguineous, with punctured striae, 

 interstitial lines flat, with dilated punctures j four black spots on 

 each elytrum, placed 1, 2, 1, the latter largest. 



Length seven-twentieths of an inch, exclusive of the rostrum. 



Ohs. We introduce this familiar insect, and a variety of it, 

 chiefly for the sake of comparison with another species, which 

 has many characters in common with it. A slight inspection of 

 the plate will, however, at once disclose the differences by which 

 we will always be enabled to distinguish them from each other. 



The tredecim-punctata, which does not appear to be injurious 

 to any useful plant, may be found in considerable numbers on the 

 milk-weed, or wild cotton (Asclepias syriaca), which is very com- 

 mon in the neighborhood of Philadelphia, growing on the banks 

 of streams of water. The insect seems to be a pretty general 



