Americana 



¥0L. Y. 



BROOKLYN, JULY, 1889, 



MO. 7. 



A GENERIC SYNOPSIS OF THE BYTHOSCOPID/E. 



\i\ Wai. II. ASHMEAD. 



Family V. BYTHOSCOPIDiE. 



Head as wide or widei- than the thorax, when nai rower very thin antero- 

 posteriorly with a sharp superior mari^in ; the frons in the tbrnier case obtuse or 

 slightly convex, in the latter, flattened. Ocelli 2. situated on the Irons between the 

 antennne. Antennse setiform, 3-jointed, the basal joints short, thick, placed in cavitie>. 

 Tiiorax well developed, wider than long, or else hexagonal, slightly convexly idunded, 

 punctate, or with delicate striations. Hcutellum rather large, triangular. Elytra 

 subopaque, seldom entirely translucent. Tegulte present. Posterior coxa' contii;uous. 

 Tibiae prismatic, the hind edges of posterior pair most treqiiently armed with a doulile 

 row of numerous strong spines or else with small dentiiulations or fine cili;e. Tarsi 

 3-jointed. 



This family is of rather small extent and represented by but com- 

 paratively few genera; in it I have included, as subfamilies, the genera 

 ^ihalkm Latreille, and Eury7?iela Burmeister, the posilicm of which has 

 been tlie subject of considerable controversy with systematists. 



The former, seems to be closely allied to the MembracidcE where 

 Stal placed it; the latter, to \he Jassida-, but their general facies and the 

 position of the ocelli are Bythoscopid, and I believe ihey belong in this 

 group. 



The following table will enable one to recognize these subfamilies : 



SUBFAMILIES. 



Head transverse, antero-posteriorly very thin, much narrower thati the thorax ; frons 



flat, upper margin sharp ; thorax hexagonal, the sides usually sinuate 



SuBKAMii.v I. iETH ALIGN IN /E. 



Entgmologica Ameuicana. Vol. v. 2 July 1889. 



