Report of the State Entomologist 261 



Compared with the much better known pea-weevil, shown in Fig. 

 17, ohsoletus is not one-half so large, is 

 more soberly colored, having less white 

 on the wing-covers, and is without the 

 white spot on the middle of the hinder 

 part of the thorax and the two oval 

 blackish spots which so conspicuously 

 mark the exposed tip of the abdomen of 

 Bruchits pisorum. In the latter the 

 whitish hairs of the wing-covers form an FiG.n.-The pea-weevil, Bruchus 

 ,,. ., ill 11 -I11-1 PISORUM, natural size and en- 



oblique, interrupted, bent band behind j^^^^^. ,^ ^ ^^^ containing the 



the middle. weevil. 



Description of the Beetle. 



Say's description {loc. cit. sup.) of Bruchus ohsoletus may be consulted 

 for more positive determination. It is as follows: 



Body blackish cinereous with a slight tinge of brown; antennae not 

 deeply serrate; thorax much narrowed before, cinereous each side, a 

 slight impressed dorsal line; base with the edge almost angulated, 

 central lobe almost truncate; scutel quadrate, whitish, longitudinally 

 divided by a dusky line ; elytra with the intersticial lines having a 

 slight appearance of alternating whitish and dusky; on the middle of 

 the third intersticial line is a more abbreviated whitish line; posterior 

 thighs with a black spine and two smaller ones. 



Length over one-tenth of an inch. 



The whitish or cinereous markings are not very striking; on the 

 elytra they may sometimes be traced into two obsolete macular bands. 



I obtained many specimens from the seeds of an Astralagus in 

 August. 



Prof. Kiley has given in his Third Report on the Insects of Missouri, a 

 detailed description of B. fabce, which may also be referred to. The 

 features upon which he separates it from B. ohsoletus of Say are these: 

 We give them that by their aid, B.fahce, if it proves to be a permanent 

 variety, may be identified from the comparison. 



B. ohsoletus is a smaller species, dark gray, with the antennae all 

 dark, the pygidium not rufous, the thorax with a perceptibly darker 

 dorsal shade so that the sides appear more cinereous, a white scutel, 

 and each interstitial line of the elytra with a slight appearance of 

 alternating whitish and dusky along its whole length. 



The Bruchus fabae of Prof. Riley. 

 Following the description of B. fabce, to which reference is made 

 above, the description being too extended to give it place here. Prof. 

 Riley has written as follows: 



This insect has been for several years ticketed in some of the East- 

 ern collections by the name of B. fahcB, or else what is worse, the 

 corruption of it, fabi. ****** The name was credited to 

 M 



