CURCULIONID^. — PISSODES. 8T 



Rather variable, like its congeners; the thorax sometimes having a black spot 

 on the disc ; or the general colour being pale flavescent or testaceous. 



Taken in the spring on the flowers of willows. 



Genus CCCVI. — Pissodes, Germar. 



Antennw geniculate^, 12-jointed, rather short and stout ; funiculus 7-jointed, 

 with basal joint obconic, rather short, the remainder very short, truncate at 

 the apex, and gradually increasing in diameter to the club, which is oval, 

 acuiTiinate at the apex. Rostrum elongate, slender, curved, and rounded : 

 eyes distant, depressed: thorax considerably narrowed in front, bisinuated 

 posteriorly, slightly convex : scutellum small, rounded at the apex : elytra 

 oblong, with a collar towards the apex, the shoulders obtusely angulated : 

 pygidium covered : legs stout ; femora unarmed ; tibiw rounded, armed within 

 at the apex with a subhorizontal stout hook ; tarsi short, broad : body oblong, 

 head variegated with pale scales.. 



The prettily spotted surface of the insects of this genus renders 

 them very conspicuous : all the species frequent pines and resinous 

 trees : they are rare in the south of Britain, but appear to be more 

 abundant in the north : — from Hylobius, which resembles them in 

 their colouring, they differ by having the femora simple : the basal 

 joint of the funiculus of the antenna? is comparatively short, the 

 thorax narrowed in front, and the body of a very hard texture. 



Sp. 1. Pini. Rufo-piceus, pallido-squamosus, rostro ferrugineo, elytris profundi . 



punctato-striatisyjasciis duabus macularibus pallido-squamosus. (Long. corp. 



4—5 lin.) 

 Cu. Pini. Linne. — Pi. Pini. Steph. Catal. 166. No. 1699. 



Rufo-piceouss with pale lutescent scales : rostrum ferruginous : head dusky, 

 with an impression between the eyes: thorax dark piceous, very thickly 

 rugose-punctate, with an obsolete dorsal carina, and two large, somewhat 

 remote fovese on the disc, densely filled with flavescent scales, and a similar 

 impression, also squamous, before the scutellum, — which is whitish yellow : 

 on the margin on each side is an interrupted oblique line of scales, with a 

 pale dot without, placed in a line with the two dorsal foveae : elytra deeply 

 striate, the strife composed of oblong-quadrate punctures ; the disc, especially 

 towards the apex, with some smaller lutescent scales, with an oblique abbre- 

 viated fascia of squamous spots before the middle, and a second broader trans- 

 verse one behind : legs pale rufo-piceous, tibiffi with a narrow ring of whitish 

 scales. 



I have hitherto seen but about four specimens of this handsome 



