lOlS] Schaeffer — Coleopterous Family TemnochilidoB 147 



the hollow, spiny, chitinous object that an insect or bird foe 

 would seize when attacking the tree-hopper could be no possible 

 incentive toward further efforts. In the above cited instance, 

 this adaptation certainly saved two individuals from me, and with- 

 out doubt in nature is often used successfully, and may be con- 

 sidered as a sort of adaptive self mutilation, or autotomy. 



The accompanjdng plate will give an idea of the appearance of 

 the insect, with and without the pronotal development. 



THE STANFORD EXPEDITION TO BRAZIL, 1911, 



J. C. Branner, Chief. 



THE SPECIES OF THE COLEOPTEROUS FAMILY TEM- 

 NOCHILIDiE COLLECTED ON THE EXPEDITION. 



By Chas. Schaeffer, 

 Museum of the Brooklyn Institute, Brooklyn, N. Y. 



Temnochila chalcea Kirsch 



Berl. Ent. Zeitsch. XVII, p. 149. Reit., Verb. Nat. Ver. Briinn, XIII, p. 13. 

 Sharp, Biol. Cent. Am. Col. II, pt. 1, p. 397. 



Eleven specimens collected at Abund and Porto Velho, Rio 

 Madeira. 



The females of this species, which is widely distributed in Cen- 

 tral and South America, have the last ventral segment more or 

 less deeply and broadly triangularly impressed, a rather unusual 

 female character in this genus. 



Tenebroides bipustulata Fab. 



Fabr. Syst. EI. I, p. 152. 



Reit. Verb. Nat. Ver. Brunn, XIII, p. 67. 



Sharp, Biol. Cent. Am. Col. II, pt. 1, p. 422. 



Seven specimens collected at Porto Velho and Abun^, Rio 

 INIaderia. 



The middle and hind tibiae are armed with one or two small 



