THE GENUS PELITROPIS VAN DUZEE 



The genus was erected by Van Duzee in 1908 and con- 

 tains a single species, rotulata, that is known only from 

 Florida and Mississippi and is a rather rare insect. 



Original generic characterization is quoted here. 



Briefly characterized as follows: "Closely allied to Tambinia 

 and differing principally in its wider head, non-carinate frons and 

 different elytral venation. Head with the eyes as wide as the pro- 

 notum or nearly so, laminately flattened. Vertex produced, flat, 

 base angularly emarginate, sides parallel, the margins and middle 



Fig. 20 Pelitropis rotulata Van D., enlarged. (Original). 



line carinate. Frons almost horizontal, broad, sides parallel, base 

 angularly rounded, disk a little depressed. Pronotum roundedly pro- 

 duced before, deeply and angularly emarginate behind, tricarinate, the 

 lateral carinae curved and almost reaching the posterior angles. 

 Mesonotum tricarinate. Elytra long and narrow, parallel, hyaline, 

 with a very slender costal membrane; radial nervures simple, first 

 ulnar forked behind the middle, second at the middle; claval nervures 

 united before the middle of the commissural margin, the resulting 

 nervure attaining the apex of the clavus; apex of elytra subangularly 

 rounded, inner edge of the membrane almost rectilinear, outer curved; 

 base of the membrane separated from corium by a subangulated line 

 of transverse nervures, behind which eight longitudinal nervures run 

 straight and almost parallel to the apex; these are crossed about 

 halfway to the apex by a second series of transverse veinlets; a few 

 supernumerary veinlets may occur on the disk either side of this 

 second line, and two short longitudinal nervures are interpolated 

 near the inner angle; apical margin with a very narrow areolate or 

 punctate appendix. Posterior tibiae with three spines." 

 Haplotype of the genus: Pelitropis rotulata Van D, 



83 



