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Hypera.| RHYNCHOPHORA. 
HYPERA, Germar (Phytoncmus, Schonherr). 
This species is a very extensive one, containing upwards of two 
hundred species which are almost entirely confined to the Palearctic 
region ; a few, however, have been described from North Africa, Madeira, 
the Canaries, and South America (Chili, Cayenne, &c.); they are mode- 
rate-sized or small insects, often prettily variegated and mottled, with 
the elytra ovate or oblong ovate and the thorax, as a rule, much narrower 
than the elytra, which have the shoulders well marked ; the rostrum is 
rather stout and not carinate ; the posterior tibie have no hook, or a 
very obsolete one, at apex, and the tarsi have the last joint long with 
the claws long and free ; the femora are simple and not longer than 
the tibize ; the scutellum is small but distinct, and the elytra are not 
produced at apex and are furnished with regular punctured striz; nearly 
a hundred species are found in Hurope, of which sixteen are contained 
in the British catalogue ; two or three, however, are extremely rare, and 
are only represented by single specimens in our old collections; they 
have for the most part a strong family likeness ; one or two of them are 
very common and occasionally are injurious to certain crops, but I have 
never heard of their doing any material damage. 
The sexual differences are sometimes very marked, and consist chiefly 
of variations in general shape, length of rostrum, point of insertion of the 
antenne, &c. 
The species are, for the most part, very easy to distinguish if com- 
pared side by side, but the differences are often hard to express in words; 
several authors make considerable use of the characters drawn from the 
relative length of the first two or three joints of the funiculus of the 
antennx, but I have not, in some instances, found them satisfactory, and 
have preferred, in several instances, to roughly divide them on the 
clothing of the elytra, which, after all, is the character by which they 
are, as a rule, superficially distinguished; the shape of the scales is also 
very important. 
J. Rostrum broader, about twice as long as broad ; size 
larger 5 ntti NOES sae ACRE SY es er at 
II. Rostrum narrower, about three times as long as 
broad ; size smaller. 
i. Clothing of elytra formed of coarser scales which 
are rounded or truncate behind. 
1. Alternate interstices somewhat raised; elytra 
variegated, with an immaculate lighter spot in 
middle of margin and another at shoulder ; 
scales overlapping one another and broadly con- 
cave; length6mm, ..... . . . . H. FASCICULATA, Herbst. 
2. Alternate interstices not raised; elytra vari- 
able ; scales not overlapping but placed side by 
side and furrowed in middle. 
A. Shoulders scarcely broader than base of 
thorax ; elytra with greyish-yellow or reddish- 
brown scales, without distinct spots or patches H. aruNDINIS, Pays. 
H. puncrata, F. 
