l82 ENTOMOLOGICAt, NEWS. [May, 



A NEW ACHARUTES. 



By F. L. Harvey, Orono, Me. 



Acharntes brevlspinns n. sp. — Ground color pale cream above and dirty 

 white or grayish below; covered with lavender or pale purple patches and 

 streaks; darker above. Head, above and below, and the antennae, darker 

 than the rest of the body; a spot on the head between the eye patches, 

 and another on the neck, darker; a spot of the ground color on each side 

 of the dark spot on the neck; other less marked spots on the head and 

 antennse, giving them a mottled appearance. Eye patches black, kidney- 

 shaped, rather conspicuous, and remote from the base of the antennae; a 

 dorsal median, longitudinal band composed of five obscure stripes; a 

 median darker one, each side of which is an interrupted lighter stripe 

 composed of spots of the ground color; outside of these an obscure stripe, 

 darker than the general body color; underside of the body (excepting 

 the head), the legs and elater pale grayish blue; the disposition of the 

 color patches is variable in specimens of the same size, and the depth of 

 color varies with the sex and age; the young are paler. What we take to 

 be the females are larger, lighter colored, more sluggish, and the abdo- 

 men is wider at the sixth segment in proportion to the length. Body fusi- 

 form, robust, widest at the sixth segment. Last abdominal segment ob- 

 tuse. Body sparingly clothed with stout, curved hairs. Head nearly 

 round, truncated behind and obtusely produced in front, broader than the 

 prothorax and mesothorax. Antennae stout, slightly longer, or about as 

 long as the head; basal joint broader than the others, and somewhat lon- 

 ger than broad; second joint a little longer than broad, widest at the distal 

 end; third joint about as long as broad; widest where it joins the fourth: 

 fourth one-half longer than third, widest at the base, ovate, obtuse at the 

 end; third and fourth separated by an obscure suture, and together ap- 

 pearing as a long, terminal, oblong segment; the two basal segments have 

 well marked, deep sutures. Ratio of the joints nearly 9:10:12:17. The 

 basal joints each bear about two pairs of hairs and the terminal segment 

 more. Eye patches black, conspicuous, reniform, remote from base of 

 antennae. Length to width as 12:7. Last abdominal segment prominent, 

 broadly rounded at the end, bearing inconspicuous anal spines, located 

 for a part upon minute warts, and only about one-third the length of the 

 hairs clothing the body. Legs stout, rather short and bearing stout claws 

 60 mm. long; the shorter claw half as long. Elater short, broad at the 

 base; as broad as long; basal part as long as the others taken together; 

 terminal joint one-fifth the length of the second, slender and pointed. 



Measurements. — Total length 1.725 mm.; head .23 mm. long, 2.25 mm. 

 broad; antennae, 240 mm.; ratio of joints nearly 4:5:6:8; body 1.5 mm.; 

 segments nearly in the ratio 6:8:8:8;9;8:8;5;5; breadth of body at sixth seg- 

 ment .575 mm.; legs with claw .36 mm.; elater 230 mm.; ratio of seg- 

 ments 5:4:1; large claw .06 mm.; small claw .06 mm.; anal spines .015 mm. 



Dislinguishinf; characters. — Small, obscurely triangular head, trun- 

 cated behind, spotted, darker than the body; long thick antennae, dark 

 colored, with a short broad basal segment, and a long oblong-ovate ter- 



