NEARCTIC BEETLES MELIGETHES — EASTON 



93 



My own now considerable experience with both Nearctic and 

 Palaearctic material has led me to the conclusion that North American 

 Meligethes which may have been variously determined as rujimanus, 

 moerens, ruficornis, mutatus, or californicus, as well as many of those 

 regarded as aeneus or brassicae, constitute but one single, although 

 variable, species very closely related to but distinct from the Palae- 

 arctic M. aeneus Fabricius. Other specimens among Nearctic mate- 



AT 



Figure 77. — a-e, Meligethes rufimanus LeConte: a, ventral view of ovipositor; b, dorsal view 

 of tegmen of aedeagus; c, lateral view of same; d, dorsal view of median lobe of aedeagus; 

 e, lateral view of same. /-/, M. aeneus Fabricius:/, ventral view of ovipositor; g, dorsal 

 view of tegmen of aedeagus; h, lateral view of same; i, dorsal view of median lobe of 

 aedeagus; ;, lateral view of same. Scale A (a,/), 0.25 mm.; scale B {b-e, g-j), 0.2 mm. 



rial that had been determined as belonging to this latter species have 

 proved on critical examination to be unrecognized examples of M. 

 simplipes Easton, and I have yet to see a specimen from America that 

 I would regard as a true M. aeneus Fabricius. Thus I find myself in 

 disagreement with such workers as Chittenden (1925) and Dr. Stuart 

 W. Frost (quoted by Peng-Fi and Larson,^ 1949), who regard it as 

 a species introduced into North America. 



' The paper referred to, "Meligethes aeneus as a Factor in Muskmelon Breeding Program in Pennsyl- 

 vania," wtis based on tlie determination by Mr. Henry Dietrich as M. aeneus Fabrieius of specimens 

 derived from the heavy infestation of the plants in 1948. During 1951 Prof. R. E. Larson very kindly 

 sent me 188 beetles freshly collected off tho same crop of Cucumix melo Linnaeus, and these, without excep- 

 tion, proved to be M. nigrescens Stephens (= seminulum LeConte). 



