\'ol. XXviii] ENTORrOLOGICAL NEWS. 439 



The Genus Harmostes Burm. (Coreidae, Heterop.). 



By Edmund H. Gibson, U. S. Bureau of Entomology. 



The genus Harmostes Burm. appears to be limited in its 

 distribution to the New World, its species being recorded only 

 from North, Central and South x^merica, West Indies and the 

 Galapagos Islands. Central America is probably its region of 

 origin as the greatest number of species is to be found there 

 and those occurring to the extreme north and south exhibit the 

 greatest differences in structure. The genus now contains 1 6 

 species, 8 of which are represented in North x\merica north 

 of Mexico. 



Harmostfs is the largest and principal genus of the tribe 

 Harmostini Stal and in general its diagnostic characters are 

 those of Harmostini. Aufeius Stal and Xcnogenus Berg, the 

 other genera of the same tribe, may be separated from Har- 

 ynostcs as follows : Aufeius has the abdomen swollen or ex- 

 tended laterally beyond the hemelytra, and Xcnogenus has a 

 more elongated body and ocelli elevated. The key character 

 for separating Harmostini from the remaining tribes of the 

 subfamily Corizinae is the posterior femora spined beneath. 



In establishing a key to the species, the use of color and 

 color markings as diagnostic characters have been eliminated 

 and structural differences relied upon entirely ; these include 

 principally the characters of the head and its parts, pronotal 

 margins and angles, and size. The color within a species is 

 quite variable, as is also the size, but the latter under certain 

 limitations may be used. 



The haplotype of the genus is H. dorsalis Burm., 1835, but 

 which I now deem best to place in synonymy with scrratus 

 Fabr., 1794. The original description of dorsalis Burm. 

 ( Supra brunneus fusco-striatus, subtus flavus, pronoti margine 

 laterali lineaque media scutelli flavis ; pectore linea laterali 

 fusca. Long. 3-3^2 "' ) is so meagre in detail that it is not 

 possible to distinguish it from several other species. I there- 

 fore place it in synonymy with the oldest described species 

 which falls within the genus and which has the same distribu- 

 tion as that stated for dorsalis. The coloration of serratus 



