SUBGENUS TRICHAPION — KISSINGER 347 



striae are not complete, 9 indicated beyond middle, striae are indicated 

 by a row of well separated punctures, somewhat impressed on apex 

 of elytra. Scutellum triangular, 0.09 by 0.09 mm. Front femora 

 four times as long as wide. Claws with acute basal tooth. 



Special male characters: Mucro of tibia 2 smaller than that on 

 tibia 3, both strongly dentate. 



Material examined: 10 specimens including some determined by 

 Hans Wagner. 



Known distribution: 



Mexico: Guerrero: Chilpancingo. Tabasco: Teapa. Veracruz: 20 kilometers 

 south of Catemaco. 



British Honduras: Belize. 



Guatemala: Panajachel; Mirandilla; Zapote; Aceituno; San Ger6nimo; San Juan 

 in Vera Paz; Cahab6n; Chiacam. 



Nicaragua: Chontales. 



Panama: David. 



Colombia: No exact locality. 



Venezuela: San Esteban. 



Remarks: I have followed the synonymy of Wagner (1911). 

 Characters separating this species from A. evustum Kissinger are 

 summarized in the key. 



Apion reconditum Group 



The 15 species assigned to this group have characters in common as 

 discussed above. In addition the frons is narrow, being slightly wider 

 than the dorsal tip of the beak, eyes are prominent, elytral humeri are 

 prominent, elytral intervals are generally smooth and uniserially 

 pubescent, and the scales in the striae tend to be more conspicuous 

 than those on the intervals. 



Three species assigned to this group, A. acwpunctatum Sharp, A. 

 davidis Sharp, and A. nitidirostre Sharp, are known to the author 

 only from females. There is naturally some question as to whether 

 these three species actually belong to Trichapion, but this can be 

 settled only when males are available. A. davidis and A. nitidirostre 

 lack the basal lateral expansion and basal fovea of the prothorax. 

 The beak of the former is very strongly, evenly curved. 



In general the antennae are inserted close to the base of the beak 

 at a distance from the eyes equal to the width of the frons, but in A. 

 minor Smith, A. gracilirostre Sharp, and A. bicolor Gerstaecker the 

 antennae are inserted more distad on the beak at a distance from the 

 eyes distinctly greater than the width of the frons. A. minor is a small 

 species, 1.5 mm.; the male has an attenuate beak about as long as head 

 and prothorax combined; the dorsal surface of the prothorax is deeply, 

 closely, and coarsely punctured; and the mucrones of the male are 

 long, straight, and slender. A. gracilirostre is larger, 2.25 to 2.50 mm., 



