A i-ion.] RHYXCHOPHOUA. 137 



aaaa. Pubescence strong ; elytra moderately convex . A. SEMCULUM, Kirby. 

 bbbb. Pubescence scanty ; elytra depressed ... A. TENUE, Kirby. 

 bbbbt. Thorax as long as broad or transverse. 



aaaat- Forehead with a broad impression in front ; 



rostrum of equal length in both sexes A. PUBESCENS, Kirby. 



bbbb*. Forehead even ; rostrum a little longer in 



female than in male A. CUKTISI, Walt. 



(curtulum, Desbr. ) 



bb*. Rostrnm straight or only slightly curved (more 

 robust and broader than in the preceding species).* 

 aaf- Base of elytra bordered between scutellum and 

 fourth stria ; upper surface of a reddish purple me- 

 tallic colour : size larger A. LIMONII, Kirby. 



bbf- Base of elytra not bordered ; size smaller. 



aaj. Head and thorax black ; elytra metallic (blue, 



greenish-blue or violet). 



aaa. Elytra short., strongly dilated and rounded be- 

 hind, convex, 

 aaa*. Sides of thorax almost straight ; temples 



and throat almost impnnctate A. MARcmcrx, Herbxt. 



bbb*. Sides of thorax somewhat rounded ; tem- 

 ples and throat thickly and plainly punctured . A. AFFINE, Kirby. 

 bbb. Elytra long, feebiy dilated behind, depressed in 



front. 



aaa*. Forehead distinctly punctured, rather shiny; 

 rostrum in both sexes evidently longer than the 



head A. viOLACEXJM, Kirby. 



bbb*. Forehead almost shagreened, very dull ; ros- 

 trum shorter than the head in male and about as 



long as the head in the female A.HYDBOLAPATH[,J/ar^. 



bb. Head thorax and elytra unicolorons black, 

 aaa. Scutellum very small, scarcely visible ; punctu- 

 ation of thorax less close with central line impunc- 



tate ; size smaller A. SEDT, Germ. 



bbb. Scntellum rather large, oblong ; punctuation of 



thorax very close ; size larger A. HUMIIE. Germ. 



(curtirostre, Germ.) 



I have for convenience, sake followed Bedel in indicating the chief 

 groups, although I have not kept to his arrangement ; they are, how- 

 ever, to a great extent merely artificial groups and simply adopted with 

 a view to help the student in the identification of the species. 



GROUP 1. 



Rostrum subulate at apex : colour dark blue or black with legs entirely 

 dark (on various Leguminosae). 



A. pomonae, F. (cyanescens, Kirby). Head and thorax black or 

 blue-black, elytra blue or greenish-blue, finely and scantily pubescent 

 above, more closely beneath ; head strongly sculptured, rostrum broad 

 behind and much narrowed in front, gibbose beneath before the insertion 

 of the antennae, with a smooth central line on the upper surface at base 

 which is more apparent in the male ; antenna? black with the first joint. 



* vide p. 135, line 6. 



