Sept.-Dec, I9i8.] ShARP: StUDIES IN RhYNCHOPHORA. 215 



STUDIES IN RHYNCHOPHORA, VI. "THE NEW 

 YORK WEEVIL." 



By D. Sharp, 

 Brockenhukst, England. 



Ithyccrus novcboraccnsis was termed the New York weevil by 

 Riley. It is the only species of its genus, and at the same time the 

 only species known of a very distinct subfamily. It is therefore of 

 much interest and importance, and my object in writing this brief 

 paper is to make known its extremely peculiar sex characters and to 

 point out that by these, as well as by some of the body-characters, it 

 is allied to the Australian Belidse. This affinity is exhibited more 

 strongly by the male than it is by the female. Such of the female 

 Belidae as I have examined possess a well-developed ovipositor, while 

 this structure is absent in Ithyccrus, the vaginal plates and palps 

 being attached to the margin of the membranous vulva. Hence I 

 believe it will be best to treat Ithyccrus at present as an isolated sub- 

 family of Belidae. This family is largely represented in Australia 

 by quite a variety of remarkable forms, very few of which have been 

 well investigated, hence it is not improbable that the subfamily 

 Ithycerides may later on not be found to be so distinct from other 

 Belidse as appears at present to be the case. 



Two or three species of Belidse are known from South America; 

 I have not been able to obtain specimens of them for study as they 

 are at present very rare in collections, but judging from superficial 

 inspection it would seem that they have very little relation to 

 Ithyccrus. No Belid occurs in Central America, and in fact none 

 but Ithyccrus occurs in the whole of the northern hemisphere: there 

 are a few representatives of the family in New Guinea and New 

 Zealand. 



The body characters of Ithyccrus, though agreeing in important 

 characters rather strongly with Belidse, depart in certain particulars, 

 the most important of which are the definite club of the antenna;, and 

 the thicker rostrum with much larger mouth-parts. 



The genitalia of the Belidse are at present known only by the fig- 

 ure and brief description of the male parts given by F. Muir and 



