﻿88 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  vol. 
  los 
  

  

  Genus 
  Fasaces 
  Champion, 
  1889 
  

  

  Vasaces 
  Champion, 
  Biologia 
  Central!- 
  Americana, 
  Coleoptera, 
  vol. 
  4, 
  pt. 
  2., 
  p. 
  Ill, 
  

   1889 
  [no 
  included 
  species] 
  and 
  p. 
  128, 
  pi. 
  6, 
  figs. 
  7 
  and 
  7, 
  a-c, 
  1890 
  [first 
  in- 
  

   cluded 
  species]. 
  — 
  Arnett, 
  Journ. 
  Washington 
  Acad. 
  Sci., 
  vol. 
  40, 
  p. 
  225, 
  1950. 
  

   (Genotype, 
  Vasaces 
  aeneipennis 
  Champion, 
  1890; 
  designated 
  by 
  Arnett, 
  

   1950.) 
  

  

  This 
  genus 
  belongs 
  in 
  the 
  subfamily 
  Oedemerinae 
  as 
  treated 
  in 
  my 
  

   paper 
  on 
  the 
  Nearctic 
  species. 
  The 
  apical 
  segment 
  of 
  the 
  maxillary 
  

   palpus 
  is 
  triangular 
  or 
  cultriform 
  and 
  the 
  fore 
  tibia 
  has 
  two 
  apical 
  

   spurs. 
  It 
  is 
  tentatively 
  placed 
  in 
  the 
  tribe 
  Asclerini, 
  as 
  I 
  have 
  pre- 
  

   viously 
  defined 
  it. 
  However, 
  studies 
  of 
  certain 
  other 
  genera 
  have 
  

   led 
  me 
  to 
  revise 
  somewhat 
  my 
  views 
  on 
  the 
  oedemerid 
  tribes, 
  and 
  

   when 
  more 
  groups 
  have 
  been 
  restudied 
  some 
  rearrangement 
  may 
  be 
  

   necessary. 
  Vasaces 
  Champion 
  will 
  key 
  to 
  couplet 
  7 
  of 
  my 
  key 
  to 
  the 
  

   genera 
  of 
  Asclerini. 
  The 
  slightly 
  emarginate 
  eyes 
  separate 
  it 
  from 
  

   Heliocis 
  Arnett, 
  and 
  the 
  triangular 
  or 
  cultriform 
  apical 
  segment 
  of 
  the 
  

   maxillary 
  palpus 
  will 
  separate 
  it 
  from 
  the 
  genus 
  Sisenes 
  Champion. 
  

   In 
  Sisenes 
  Champion 
  the 
  apical 
  segment 
  of 
  the 
  maxiUary 
  palpus 
  is 
  

   small, 
  hardly 
  triangular. 
  In 
  addition, 
  many 
  Sisenes 
  species 
  resemble 
  

   lycids 
  and 
  have 
  the 
  antennal 
  segments 
  somewhat 
  flattened, 
  a 
  condi- 
  

   tion 
  which 
  is 
  not 
  found 
  in 
  Vasaces. 
  In 
  the 
  key 
  to 
  the 
  male 
  genitalia, 
  

   this 
  genus 
  runs 
  to 
  couplet 
  3, 
  where 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  

   genera 
  Eumecomera 
  Arnett 
  and 
  Sisenes 
  on 
  the 
  basis 
  of 
  the 
  structure 
  

   of 
  the 
  ninth 
  abdominal 
  sternite. 
  In 
  Vasaces 
  the 
  apical 
  portion 
  of 
  the 
  

   ninth 
  sternite 
  of 
  both 
  Eumecomera 
  and 
  Sisenes 
  consists 
  of 
  two 
  separate 
  

   rods 
  united 
  only 
  by 
  thin 
  membrane. 
  The 
  ninth 
  sternite 
  of 
  Vasaces 
  

   resembles 
  somewhat 
  that 
  of 
  Heliocis 
  except 
  that 
  the 
  base 
  is 
  two 
  

   distinct 
  rods 
  instead 
  of 
  the 
  Y-shaped 
  piece 
  found 
  in 
  Heliocis. 
  

  

  It 
  appears 
  that 
  the 
  genus 
  Sisenes 
  is 
  a 
  close 
  relative 
  of 
  Vasaces, 
  

   both 
  on 
  characters 
  of 
  external 
  morphology 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  male 
  

   genitalia. 
  However, 
  in 
  the 
  studied 
  forms, 
  the 
  two 
  genera 
  can 
  be 
  

   adequately 
  separated 
  using 
  the 
  characters 
  mentioned 
  above. 
  In 
  

   gross 
  appearance, 
  the 
  two 
  genera 
  are 
  very 
  distinct. 
  The 
  species 
  of 
  

   Vasaces 
  are 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  dark, 
  somewhat 
  metallic, 
  elongate 
  

   beetles, 
  quite 
  different 
  from 
  the 
  brilliantly 
  colored, 
  lycidlike 
  species 
  

   of 
  Sisenes. 
  

  

  Generic 
  diagnosis. 
  — 
  Head 
  moderate 
  or 
  elongate, 
  usually 
  constricted 
  

   behind 
  the 
  eyes. 
  Eyes 
  somewhat 
  emarginate, 
  large. 
  Antenna 
  

   slender, 
  11-segmented, 
  inserted 
  between 
  the 
  eye 
  and 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  

   mandible, 
  distinctly 
  separated 
  from 
  the 
  margin 
  of 
  the 
  eye 
  and 
  the 
  

   base 
  of 
  the 
  mandible. 
  Second 
  segment 
  of 
  the 
  antenna 
  large, 
  over 
  

   one-half 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  fourth 
  and 
  sometimes 
  nearly 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  

  

  