Vol. VII] GIFFARD— CALIFORNIA HEMIPTERA 291 



223. Oncopsis californicus, new species 



Allied to pruni, but larger, with the median line of the pronotum dark, 

 accentuated by a paler area either side; last ventral segment of the female 

 short, triangular, with an apical notch; elytra hyaline, with heavy fuscous 

 veins, at least in the male. Length 5 - Sj.-^ mm. 



Head regularly rounded, the vertex of equal length across its whole 

 width, and with the disk of the front, strongly punctured. Pronotal rugae, 

 carrying scattering punctures, more distinct than in variabilis, these rugae 

 more regular and less interrupted than in pruni; middle of the vertex, 

 with a longitudinal carina, usually obvious. Elytra with three ante-apical 

 areoles, the outer sometimes broken up in the male, the nervures strong; 

 areoles mostly hyaline, sometimes more or less clouded toward the claval 

 suture in the female. Last ventral segment of the female short-triangular, 

 with a rather deep elliptical or linear notch ; oviduct surpassing the py- 

 gofers farther than in the allied species. 



Color pale testaceous varying to greenish or yellowish, varied with 

 cinerous or fuscous. Base of the vertex with a black dot either side placed 

 a little nearer the eye than to the median line, these dots usually con- 

 nected by an irregular fuscous band, which in the male may send a me- 

 dian branch to the base of the front. Face with a transverse arcuate black 

 band on the base of the front and sometimes a smaller one at apex, either 

 side with a broad fuscous arc; most individuals also have a black point 

 at each ocellus. Pronotum typically fuscous or black in the male, with a 

 transverse pale area behind the cicatrices vaguely extended to the hind 

 margin either side of a dark median line, the transverse band usually 

 including one or two black points behind each eye. Scutellum blackish, 

 with the basal angles and an oblique line either side of the middle pale, 

 the latter ending in a yellow spot on the basal angles of the apical field. 

 Elytra whitish hyaline, the nervures heavy and fuscous, the commissural 

 twice interrupted with pale. In the female the black becomes brown or 

 cinnamon, with the pale marks much extended and the elytral nervures 

 scarcely infuscated. 



Described from a series of both sexes taken by Mr. Giffard 

 near the Tunnel Road east of Berkeley, May 13, 1917, 

 and at Niles Canyon, May 23, 1917. 



What seems to be a pale variety of this species is cinna- 

 mon-brown with the elytra clouded toward the claval suture, 

 the clavus pale and the nervures scarcely darker. This form 

 was taken at Tahoe, August 23, 1916, and at Niles Canyon 

 in May, 1916, and seems in a measure to connect californicus 

 with variegafus, which has similar genital characters. Were 

 it not for the very different character of the males, which 

 closely resemble those of pruni, they might be considered as 

 races of one species. This form may be distinguished super- 

 ficially by the dark median line on the pronotum. 



Holotype (No. 363), male, from Tunnel Road, in collection 

 of the California Academy of Sciences. 



