116 



PSYCHE. 



[September 1S97. 



Deltocephalus inimiciis Say. I have 

 specimens of this species from Illinois 

 (Algonquin, Nason) entirely lacking the 

 very characteristic black spots. I still 

 believe, however, that these spots form 

 one of the best characters for this species. 

 It is a case similar to that of the genus as 

 a whole; there are no grounds for the 

 reduction of the species because certain 

 individuals may vary in what has been 

 regarded as the most important distin- 

 guishing character. The beginner, using 

 Prof. Osborn's table, would make the 

 spotless form a new species. 



Deltocephalus iveedi Van D. If the 

 frontal sutures in this species were 

 carried to a point at the tip of the vertex 

 as figured by Osborn, it would be a 

 character sufficient to separate this 

 species as a very distinct genus. 



Deltocephalus sex7naculattis G. & B. 

 The reducing of this species to sigjiati- 

 frons is not only entirely unwarranted 

 Ijut impossible. The unique type * is 

 before me, and also a large series of 

 mature examples collected in the moun- 

 tains of northern Colorado last summer. 

 I cannot imagine how Prof. Osborn 

 could reconcile even the figures of sex- 

 maculatus in "Prelim. List Hemip. 

 Colo. " with those of signatifrons in 

 the" Review." The species are totally 

 distinct as shown by color, form and 

 detail of structure. Moreover, sexma- 

 culatiis is a much smaller species, its 

 9 being but 2 mm. in length, while 

 Osborn gives signatifrons as 3.5 



* I do not know the origin of the Van Duzee "type " 

 which Osborn speaks of exatnining. The original descrip- 

 tion was prepared from a single specimen, and that speci- 

 men has been in my collection ever since. 



mm. He offers no explanation for this 

 discrepancy. 



Deltocephalus nigrifrois Forbes. 

 Fiiscinervosus is al least a distinct 

 dark variety of this species occurring 

 on the Pacific slope. Among other 

 difierences it has the female segment 

 evenly, shallowly concave with the 

 median tooth rounded. In nigrifrons 

 this is much more deeply and angularly 

 emarginate, the sides of the emargin- 

 ation arcuate and the tooth angular. 

 Vanduzei is entirely distinct, far nearer 

 to pulicarius than it is to nigrifrons. 

 It is much smaller, very dark, and has 

 the female segment broadly, evenly, 

 deeply, angularly emarginate, and 

 entirely without a median tooth. I 

 think for the present, at least, even 

 fuscinervosus should be considered 

 distinct. 



I have very large series of all these 

 forms and so far have found no diffi- 

 culty in their separation. For the in- 

 cluding also of per punctata there are 

 not yet sufficient grounds. Perpunc- 

 tata is a very common species here in 

 the South, and fairly constant in both 

 generic and specific characters. As 

 known at present, it differs from nig- 

 rifrons in size, form, and in important $ 

 characters. Van Duzee described these 

 in part. Osborn does not leave any of 

 these names with even varietal value. 

 In other words he assumes that it would 

 be possible for all occurring in a single 

 region to be bred from a single par- 

 ent. I do not believe this can be 

 done. Some of these forms are just 

 as distinct and free from intergradations 



