l^l^] ' Alydiiup of the United States 267 



11 Alydus pluto Uhler. 



Alydus pluto Uhler (1872) 401, 4()2i, (1876) 294-', (1877a) 406^(1904)^ Gillette and 

 Baker (1895)^ Snow (190()b)«; Van Duzee (1916)', (1917)«; [Heideman (1902)- 

 Barber (1911)]. 



Description. — Color piceous black throughout entire head, body 

 and appendages except as follows: Head with fulvous brown spot 

 between ocelli, two behind each eye, and sometimes a minute one in 

 front of eye; antennas castaneous on base of first three segments, fourth 

 fuscous; pronotum rarely with obscure fuscous areas on the disc; tibise 

 castaneous except at tip, metatarsi flavous at base; corium infuscate. 

 Abdominal margins rarely spotted. Form robust, moderately hairv, 

 rather sparsely punctate. Antennae with second and third segments 

 together subequal to fourth. 



Claspers of the male (Fig. 2) with only their narrow subparallel 

 posterior edges showing in a caudal view, and with slight mesal expan- 

 sions, near base; unlike those of any other species, except tomentosus. 

 Female with lateral plates of the hypopygium (Fig. 1) terminating in a 

 long, finger-hke tumid lobe. These genital characters separate them 

 at a glance from the robust specimens of euriims from which the\- are 

 almost indistinguishable bv other means. 



Size, cT, 10.5-11 X 3; 9 , 12-13 x 3 mm. 



A great deal of confusion has existed in regard to this 

 species, owing to its similarity to robust forms of eitrinus. This 

 is evidenced by Heidemann's reference to its 'Very hairy" 

 character, Barber's indefiniteness as to its identity, and Osborn's 

 recording it from Iowa (1892) and Ohio (1900), "each time with 

 a query "(?)." After a careful study of all accessible material 

 in the genus, the writer is convinced that the species defined 

 above by the peculiar genitalia is the one Uhler described. The 

 great similarity, however, in all other respects to A. eurinus var. 

 obesus casts a doubt on the distribution records east of the 

 Rocky Mountains. Uhler reports its presence in Colorado^----*-^ 

 Idahoi-2^ Texas2, New Mexico^, Kansas^-^, and Louisiana^-^, 

 while Arizona^ Calif ornia^ Utah^ Washington^ and Vancouver 

 Id.8 have since been added. The only specimens at hand are 

 from Fort Collins, Sterling, and Dutch Gorge, Colorado, (Ball 

 collection), and Dilley, Oregon, (from Mr. Barber). 



12. Alydus tomentosus n. sp. 



Description. — Color black, mottled with dark brown; bod}' and legs 

 densely covered with long, fine, black and white setse intcnnixed; form 

 more robust than in eurinus and not so large as in pluto. Head black, 

 niarked on each side with a longitudinal flavcsccnt ante-ocular line, 

 slighth- broken at tip of antenniferous tubercle and extending ncarlv 



