136 



THE ORDER OF COLEOPT^ERA. 



We will add a few additional notes upon those subfamilies wliicli 

 are most common or most numerous in species, and which will therefore 

 be most likelv to occur to the student: 



Section 1st. Brevirostres. 



Subfamily ITHTCERIDES. 



This sub-family has been formed to receive 

 a single I^. American species, the J^//?/een<,s novehora- 

 censis, or New York weevil, a comparatively large 

 and rather common species which is sometimes con- 

 siderably injurious to apple trees by devouring- the 

 buds and bark of young twigs. It differs from 

 all other short-snouted weevils in not having the 

 antenna? elbowed. The rostrum is robust, and the 

 scrobes very short and oblique. It is a bulk3' insect 

 Ave or six-tenths of an inch long, of a gray color, 

 with a few small black spots on the wing-covers. 

 The name is derived from the Greek cOus straight, 

 iTHYCEiius NovEiiORACEx- ivud Xcpuq antenusB. 



SIS, Forster : — a, slit made iu 

 oak twig by female for de- 

 positing her eggs; b, larvffi; 

 c, beetle — after Riley. 



Sub-family CLEOXIDES. 



In these the antennre are but slightly elbowed, thus forming a trans- 

 itional group from the Ithycerides to those which follow. The rostrum 

 is rather robust and angular or carinated above, and longer than the 

 head ; the scrobes are linear and deep, directed beneath, but not meet- 

 ing behind. The thorax is almost always furnished with ocular lobes. 

 The tibiai terminate in a dagger-like spine. These are large species 

 averaging about half an inch in length ; oblong, cylindrical and pubes- 

 cent. The larvie of some are found in the stems of thistles. Six IST. A. 

 species have been described, all belonging to the genus Cleonus of 

 Megerle. 



Subfamily LEPTOPSIDES. 



The most striking character of this group is the form of the eyes, 

 which are large and placed transversly or crosswise of the head, and 

 more or less narrowed and pointed at their lower extremity, wlience, 

 in common with some others, they have been denominated by Lacordaire 

 Oxyopthalmes, meaning pointed eyes. We have two N. A. genera, Pan- 

 soopus, Sch., and Ophryastes, Sch. ; the former contains but one species, 

 the P. erinaceus, Say, a sordid brown curculio, a little more than quar- 



