STUDIES IN THE AMERICAN BUPRESTID^ 



12: 



T c Flvtral apices rounded. Body oblong, rather more convex, sometimes 

 '"feeWy inX ed behind the middle, slightly shining, dark coppery-brown, 

 duUer aterally than medially; head as usual in the precedmg species 

 wkh dense compressed punctures and fine central carina; prothorax 

 Th ee-tur h or more wider than long, the sides straighter and more 

 parallel in basal, more converging in apical, half , .sculp ured as m the 

 preceding but more closely throughout, the apex smiilarly feebly bism- 

 Sously truncate; scutellum elongate, subquadrate impressed, cupreous 

 Z a three-fourths or more longer than wide from v^ry eviden ly to 

 at least two-fifths mder than the prothorax, the apex transverse at the 

 suture broadly rounded externally, the sutural angles right; surface 

 wfth the low flat costa. punctured, closely and coarsely so externally the 

 Tntervales very densely^ not very coarsely cnbrate; "^^er surface brght 

 cupreous the sculpture nearly as in canadensis. Length i3.o-i».o 

 mmT^^dth 4.8-6.8 mm. Pennsylvania to Ontario . . obscura n. sp. 



Elytral apices narrower, truncate to sinuato-truncate ^^^ more or les^ 

 evidently bidenticulate. Body more elongate ^^^ P^^^^^^".^^ ^ 

 narrower and somewhat less convex, dark coppery-brown to black sh 

 head Tlittle larger than in obscura, with dense compressed Punctures 

 whkh a e rather coarse and subglabrous ($), or finer and moderately 

 pubescent 5), with a median densely punctate depressed area divided 

 by the central arina and generally green in color; eyes only moderate 

 Tn ^ze but prominent, generally black; prothorax almost twice as wide 

 as long, the sides as a rule strongly converging m apica ^e^^lj P^ ^^^^^^ 

 and straighter in basal, half, the surface scarcely ^^ ajl or very fee^^^^ 

 impressed along the middle, the sculpture as m '^anadenns b^t c ose^ 

 throughout, the lustre generally more cupreous latera ly, scutellum 

 broadfr, cupreous, con?ave; elytra four-fifths onger t^ian wide,b^^^ 

 slightly wider than the prothorax, seldom at all ^^^^^ed behind the 

 rniddle the sculpture nearfy as in obscura though rather coarser, 

 unde surface no^ cupreous but bronzed, the abdomen rather closely 

 punSae throughout and somewhat more strongly so than in obscura 

 iX^ts-I^ mm.;width ,,-6, mm. North Carolm. Alab^^^^^^ 

 and Louisiana 



Several of the above species are represented by series sufficiently 

 full to show clearly the extent of specific variation. This is perhaps 

 most evident in the form of the prothorax, which may be subpromi- 

 nently rounded at the sides to evenly trapezoidal with feebly and 

 evenly arcuate sides, within specific limits, also in the degree of in- 

 flation of the elytra, which are often notably wider behind the middle 

 than at the humeri. The form of the elytral apices, on the other hand, 

 seems to be one of the more constant characters, and, on the whole, 

 the most useful in characterizing certain species which resemble 

 each other superficially. The species described by Say under the 



