ART. 23 REVISION OF THE BEETLE GENUS OEDIONYCHIS BLAKE 13 



4. OEDIONYCHIS VIANS (Illiger) 



Figs. 4 aud 5 



Haltica vians Illiger, Mag. f. lusekteukuuile, vol. 6, 1807, j). 83. 



Altica aMominalis Olivier, Ent., vol. 6, 1808, p. 679. 



Altica scripticollis Say, Journ. Acad. Philadelphia, 1824, p. 84. 



Oedionychis scripticoUis LeConte, Proc. Acad. Philadelphia, vol. 12. 1860. p. 321. 



Oedionychis thoracica, var. Clark, Journ. Ent., vol 2, 1866, p. 166. 



Oedionychis tyians var. script iooUi'S Crotch. Proc. Acad. Philadelphia, vol. 25, 



1873, p. 61. 

 Oedionychis vians Horn, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 16, 1889, p. 182. 



Elongate oval, somewhat convex, dull purplish or greenish black, 

 the pronotum red, fading to yellow, with a broad dark fascia or 

 confluent spots suggesting letter M in shape. Antennae not half 

 length of body, moderately stout, reddish brown or piceous, third 

 joint usually a little longer than fourth. Head piceous, usually 

 with a reddish brown front, sparsely and deeply punctate about and 

 between eyes, occiput smooth, median depression short and distinct, 

 interocular space over half width of head. Pronotum over twice as 

 wide as long, narrowed anteriorly; explanate margin narrow, with 

 nearly straight sides, finely punctate ; a wide piceous or greenish 

 black fascia extending in some instances almost across pronotum and 

 leaving margins red (in fresh specimens), fading to yellow; fascia 

 sometimes irregular, suggesting in outline the letter M. Scutellum 

 rounded, shining black. Elytra oblong-oval, moderately convex, 

 with narrow margin, humeri rounded with a basal sulcus within; 

 punctation varying from coarse to fine and shallow, sometimes nearly 

 obsolete, surface always alutaceous, entirely dull purplish or green- 

 ish black. Body beneath shining, rather sparsely pubescent, some- 

 times almost entirely piceous except for yellow prosternum and last 

 ventral segment, usually abdomen only partially reddish brown or 

 piceous. with wide yellow margin; legs dark brown or piceous; 

 epipleura piceous. 



Length. — i to 6.5 mm. ; width 2.2 to 3.5 mm. 



Type locality. — Pennsylvania. 



Distribution. — Ncay Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, 

 Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Dis- 

 trict of Columbia, Virginia, North Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, 

 Tennessee, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska. Iowa, Illi- 

 nois, Michigan, Colorado, and Alberta. 



Illiger originally described this species from Pennsylvania. Say 

 distinguished another species, Oe. senpticollis, as closely allied 

 to vians. but differing by its " frontal spot and undulated litterate 

 form of thoracic spot," and gave its locality as Missouri. Crotch 



