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Ainidls Entomological Society of Amcriai [X'ol. III. 



In prc'ijaring the following dichotomous tabic of the species 

 I have used the most available characters I could discover. 

 Many of these characters are obscure or difficult to express in 

 words which is especially true of the markings of the vertex 

 although these markings seem to be good and constant charac- 

 ters. It must be borne in mind that the vertex in the female 

 is always longer and more acute at apex than in the male. 

 Unfortunately the type of tcniiijrous Baker was received too 

 late to allow of its being included in the key to the species but 

 its long vertex with a peculiarly broad and rounded apex and 

 the brown face will readily separate it from verccundus to which 

 it is most closely related. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF PLATVMETOPIUS. 



Elytra uniformly whitish-hyaline crossed by three narrow but usually well distin- 

 guished fuscous vitta"; oblique costal vcinlcts wanting; vertex rather short, 



1. hyalinus (^sb. 



Elytra more or less hyaline, usually pigmented and veined or inscribed with fus- 

 cous with the costal areole hyaline and crossed, at least at apex, by ob- 

 lique fuscous veinlets; never uniformly hyaline with narrow transverse 

 vittic 1- 



1 . lilytra quite uniformly colored or subhyaline with at must but slight veining 



toward the apex; oblique veinlets of the costa wanting anterior to the 



anleapical areoles 2. 



-. Elytra white 'r whitish hyaline more or less clouded with fulvous cr cinereous 

 and inscribed with fulvous-brown or fuscous, at times almost entirely 

 fulvous or black; ()l)liquc veinlets at least indicated in the costal arer le 



;}. 



2. Cilor a polished sul)-hyaline brown; vertex large, parabolic, dull fulvous; 



clavus and a broad band across the anteapical areoles which extends 

 l)ack along the costa, whitish; face deep black with the edge and an angu- 

 late line white, conspicuous; length 4 mm.; inhabits California. 



3. majestus Ball. 

 -. Color greenish or creamy w-hite; vertex of the male short, about right-angled, 



of the female strongly produced, lineated at apex with brown and pale; 

 elytra slighllv infu.sca'ted at apex with abc ut three oblique vtinlds against 

 the anteapical areoles; length li ' ..-4' ■,. mm 2. nigriviridis Ball. 



3. Elvtra but partially clouded and inscribed, marked with a con.spicuous yel- 



" low dorsal stripe along the closed elytra; inhabits California. 



4. elegans VanD. 

 -. Elvtra variously clouded and inscribed but without a conspicuous pale dorsal 



' vitta 4. 



4. Vertex flat, Thamnotettix-like, not depressed nor channeled toward its apex, 



anterior margin rounded to the front; prtnotum and elytra recalling 

 Mesamia vitelUna, wanting the white areolar spots of Platynietopius. 



13. dorsalis Ball. 



-, Vertex more or less channeled toward the apex which may be depressed or 

 produced and a little elevated; anterior edge thin, acute or subacute. . . .5. 



."). Ivice pale (jr yellow, usually more or less infuscated at base and sides, the f(.r- 

 mer frecjuently marked with an angulate pale line 0. 



-. Face i-ntirelv brown or fuscous '• • ■ }^- 



G. Markings of' the vertex in the form of lineations, usually a pale median line 

 more distinct anteriorly and edged with brown, and a faint slightl_y 

 diverg<'nt line either side '• 



