1918] AlydincE of the United States 273 



Description. — Color varying from black marked with fuscous to 

 pale flavescent, with a few black maculae. Head black, with a longi- 

 tudinal flavescent line on dorso-meson, a pair through eyes, and another 

 below eyes, these lines sometimes widened until only narrow black vittas 

 remain between them. Disc of pronotum varying from fulvous brown 

 to fuscous, anterior third black, except at middle; margins and sides 

 of pronotum flavescent (except near anterior margin), covered with a 

 dense mat of white soft setse. Sternum black, ]oleura fuscous to black. 

 Venter varying from black to rufescent. 



Male with claspers (Fig. 10) parallel on mesal margin, narrow at 

 base, suddenly expanded laterally below middle, acuminate at tip. 

 Lateral plates of female hypopygium (Fig. 9) convergent, contiguous at 

 tip, causing mesal plates to appear triangular in shape. Size: 9 , 11-12 

 X 2.2-2.5 mm.; cf distinctly shorter and much more slender. 



Less confusion has existed in regard to the identity of this 

 species than that of the other common members of the genus as 

 its characteristics are marked. The pronotum with its acute 

 angles and pale margins and sides, as well as the unusual form 

 of the genitalia are distinctive. 



The distribution extends from Maine and Florida to Kansas 

 and Texas with a single California record. The list of States is 

 as follows: Maine-^, Massachusetts-"^--', New^ York-''-^-", New^ 

 Jersey^-'*', Pennsylvania!^-^, Delaware'^ Maryland^ Virginia^\ 

 North Carolina*^- 1-, Florida^^-^^-^^ Indiana^, Illinoisi"^, Wiscon- 

 sin''", Iowa"", Missouri^-^, Nebraska"^, Kansas^""""^, Louisiana^, 

 Texas'-™, Oklahomai-i\ California'^. 



Tollius Stal. 

 Haplotype curttdus Stal. 

 Tollius Stal (1870) 213 (as subgenus), (1873) 89 (as genu.s). 



Although closely similar in appearance, the structural differ- 

 ences between Alydus and Tollius are marked. In the latter the 

 scent gland orifices are obsolescent, the first antennal segment 

 does not attain the apex of the head, the posterior femora sur- 

 pass the tip of the abdomen and the claspers of the male are 

 flat and approximate. Two species have been described. 



KEY TO THE SPECIES OF TOLLIUS. 



a. Claspers of male elongate, nearly four times as long as wide, gradually 

 twisted near truncate ape.x; corium with lateral margin and often entire 

 disc dotted with fuscous, apical margin not paler; median line of pro- 

 notum and scutellum obscure, at least posteriorly curtulus Stal 



aa. Claspers of male short, not over three times as long as wide, suddenly 

 obliquely truncate, acute at apex; corium with lateral half pale, immacu- 

 late, apical margin conspicuously so, unspotted; median pale line of 

 pronotum and scutellum conspicuous; lateral margins of pronotum pale. 



setosus Wan D. 



