408 



PSYCHE. 



[August iSq6. 



speciosHS, bilineatus, and prophi- 

 qi^ans Scudd. Pelidmis has priority 

 over all ; it was described from Penn. 

 and the description agrees most closely 

 with tnaculipennis, which would in 

 this case become a synonym. Speci- 

 osus, tnaculipeitni's, aequalis, biliit- 

 eatus, and propinqiiam were described 

 next, in the same publication, in the 

 order given, all the descriptions 

 appearing at the same time, speciosus 

 from a single specimen from Minn., 

 the others from several, chiefly from 

 New England. Of these the descrip- 

 tions of macitlipennis and aeqnalis 

 best characterized the species to which 

 they were applied and in consequence 

 have been most widely used ; bilhi- 

 eatus was applied to the brown form 

 of aequalis and has properly been 

 reduced to a synonym or retained in 

 varietal rank merely, to denote this 

 color-form. The tvpe of speciosus 

 also may prove to belong to aequalis 

 in which case this name also will 

 become a synonym. Propinquans 

 was described from Minn, and Conn, 

 and a word concerning it is necessary. 

 In my Preliminary List I have given 

 it as a synonym of pelidnus on Mr. 

 Scudder's authority, based on inspec- 

 tion of the types some years ago. I 

 also stated that fi'om an examina- 

 tion of the types of propinquans I 

 suspected them to be long-winged 

 examples of aequalis. These types 

 have unfortunately been inaccessible 

 to me in the preparation of this paper 

 with the exception of a single speci- 

 men from New England which was 



probably such and which is undoubt- 

 edly aequalis. It mav lie, however, 

 that individuals of both maculipennis 

 and aequalis were included in the 

 types of propinquans. So closelv do 

 the species of this genus resemljle each 

 other that it would be impossible with- 

 out an examination of the tvpes of 

 pelidnus and a thorough collection 

 and study of the species from Penn. 

 and Minn, to say which, if any, of 

 these names sh(ndd be abandoned. 

 Since the species are now well- 

 characterized under tlieir present 

 names, it seems the wisest course to 

 retain them rather than change the 

 nomenclatiux- on an uncertainty. 



8. Orphula maculipennis Scudd. 

 Figs, S, Sa, Sb, Sc, Stl, Se. 



Stenobothrus tnaculipen?iis. Scud- 

 der, 458. 1S62. Thomas, 87. Fer- 

 nald in part, 37. Beutenmiiller, 293. 

 Morse, 14, 105; Psyche, '93, p. 478. 



I have taken nearly 600 examples of 

 tills species but have yet to see one 

 with tegmina failing to reach the end 

 of the hind femora. Brown specimens 

 are more plentiful than green, the rela- 

 tive proportion seeming to be aflected 

 by the environment, as in aequalis \ 

 green ? vary from one-eighth to one- 

 third as common as brown ; bright 

 green ^ are very scarce, and discolor 

 somewhat in drying, becoming brown- 

 ish, so that they appear less plentiful in 

 the collection than in the field. Indi- 

 viduals are sometimes rose-red on the 

 costal and anal parts of the tegmina 

 with the pronotum and head either 

 brown or green, the occiput lieiiig 



