May, 1910. Notes on Some Clerid^e — Wolcott. 395 



Orthopleura damicornis Fabricius. 



Tillui> damicornis Fabr., Ent. Syst., Suppl., i, 1798, p. 117. 

 Orthopleura damicornis Spin., Mon. Cl^r., 11, 1844, p. 80, pi. XLii, 



fig. 4. 

 Orthopleura nigripennis Spin., 1. c, p. 82. 

 f Orthopleura bimaculata Melsh.. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 11, 



1845, P- 307- 

 Enoplium thoracicum Say, Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., in, 1823, 



p. 188. 

 Enoplium punctaiissimum Chevr., Ann. Soc. Ent. France, 1843, 



p. 34- 



Pelonium pennsylvanicum Chevr., Rev. et. Mag. Zool., 1874, p. 325. 



? var. A-D, Chevr., Rev. et Mag. Zool., 1874, p. 329. 



Only the principal synonymy is recorded above; the O. bimaculata 

 of Melsheimer and the varieties C and D of Chevrdlat are included, 

 but it is very doubtful whether they are really identical with dami- 

 cornis. To judge by the description, bimaculata is quite a different 

 insect. Melsheimer, however, (Cat. Col., 1853, p. 84) placed it as a 

 synonym of punctatissima, which species is now considered synony- 

 mous with damicornis. The original description by Fabricius is as 

 follows : 



"1-2. damicornis. T. \'illosus niger thorace rufo, antennarum 

 articulis duobus ultimis dilata compressis acutis. 



"Habitat in America boreali Dom Hirshell. 



"Statura et magnitudo omnino T. elongati. Antennae singulares, 

 nigrae articulis duobus ultimis majoribus dilatatis, compressis, acu- 

 minatis. Corpus totum villosum, nigrum, obscurum thorace solo 

 rufo." 



It seems evident that the antennae of Fabricius's type specimen 

 were defective and that but two of the three large dilated terminal 

 joints were present. The insect now identified as damicornis has 

 the three outer joints of antennse very large, broadly dilated; club 

 of male more than two-thirds total length, of female more than one- 

 half total length of antennae. 



This species usually has the antennae and legs black; the thorax 

 reddish, the sides and basal margin narrowly bordered with black. 

 The elytra are black, var^-ing to blue, usually clothed with semierect 

 black hairs. In both this species and texana there is often a more 

 or less distinct, post-median, testaceous fascia. This species is fully 

 as variable as texana, the prothorax being sometimes entirely black and 

 the legs and ventral surface being frequently obscurely testaceous. 



