120 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, '07 



small pruinosa. He quite correctly calls attention to the varia- 

 tion in the opercular plates and says they are not good bases 

 for specific separation. 



In 1892, Uhler in the Trans. Md. Acad. Sci., p. 149, makes 

 canicularis a good species, but cites under tibicen, the names 

 lyricen, variegata, opercularis and pruinosa as synonyms. He 

 states that according to Germar the true tibicen is the common 

 form figured by Stoll, and that Olivier's species having been 

 described from that figure must be a synonym. 



The most recent list of species is by McGillivray in the Can. 

 Ent, XXXIII, p. 74, in which Uhler is followed as to tibicen, 

 without original study of the problem. 



The conclusions drawn from this study of the literature are 

 that C. tibicen L. is not a North American species at all ; but 

 that, based on Merian's figure, it is a common Central and 

 South American species. What we have called tibicen is an un- 

 described species. C. opercularis Oliv. is a Javan form for 

 which there is absolutely no evidence that warrants us in iden- 

 tifying it with any American species. C. variegata Fabr. is 

 an ally of septendecim which has not yet been identified in 

 collections. Lyricen De G. has been redescribed as C. fulvula. 

 De Geer's belief that he had the same form as Linne is based 

 on nothing better than a general similarity. 



The notes on structure and the specific descriptions are by 

 the junior author, though all points have been verified by both 

 authors. 



It seems strange that such large and common insects should 

 have received so little careful attention. In most of the col- 

 lections seen by us there were from two to five, and in one 

 instance nine, species under the name tibicen. It would have 

 been difficult to definitely separate the species in any one col- 

 lection without additional material, and so from a number of 

 sources something over two hundred and fifty specimens taken 

 at many points in the eastern United States and a few from the 

 western and southwestern portions were gathered together. 



Having established the identity of Say's pruinosa and 

 reached the conclusion that tibicen did not occur in North 

 America at all, the description and figure of lyricen left no 



