298 ■ ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES 



It is much smaller than the quercina, smaller than the Mrticu- 

 la, and larger than quercus. 



[[Belongs to Lachnosterna. — Lec] [196] 



2. M. EPHILIDA. — Ochraceous ; thorax somewhat rufous ; 

 head blackish ; . clypeus nearly entire. 



Head blackish, with sometimes an obscure chestnut disk ; very 

 densely and confluently punctured ; punctures small : clypeus, 

 anterior termination widely, but slightly truncated, not at all 

 emarginated, the edge reflected : thorax pale rufo-castaneous. 

 polished ; punctures irregularly scattered ; middle of the lateral 

 edge rather prominent : scutel with a very few punctures, and 

 with reflected prostrate hairs at its base, partly covered by the 

 base of the thorax : elytra pale ochraceous, densely punctured : 

 stethidium beneath, with pale yellow, dense hair : nails with a 

 strong prominent tooth on the middle. 



Var. a. Scutel entirely destitute of punctures. 



Length three-fifths of an inch. 



This species closely resembles the preceding, but it has a 

 more robust form, it is somewhat shorter, destitute of the frontal 

 band of hair, and is of a paler color. I adopt the name given 

 to it by Dr. J. F. Melsheimer, who remarked in a letter to me, 

 that " it approaches nearest to a Melolontha described by Pro- 

 fessor Knoch under the name of angularis, but as the thoracic 

 angles of that insect are covered with a substance resembling 

 Mother of Pearl, or, as the Professor expresses it, ''einer farbc 

 die vollig mit der kalkerde tiberein kiimmt ; welche von den 

 Mineralogen Schaumerde genannt wird," we cannot connect 

 with propriety, our insect with the 3f. angularis." In color it 

 closely resembles the longitarsa nobis (in Long's second expedi- 

 tion) but that [197] insect is somewhat smaller, with an emargi- 

 nate clypeus and much longer tarsi. 



[Belongs to Lachnosterna ; Burmeister places it in Trichcstes, 

 which is not entitled to be considered as a genus. — Lec] 



3. M. MOESTA. — Elytra punctured, and with two double series 

 of punctures ; clypeus slightly emarginated. 



Melolontha moesta Knoch in Melsh. Catal. 

 Head with very dense profound punctures; transverse line be- 

 tween the eyes rather deeply indented : clypeus with the margin 



[Vol. V. 



