ABT. 17 NORTH AMERICAlSr WEEVILS PIERCE 21 



MECONEMUS INFUSCATUS Fahraeus 



Ischnocerus infuscatus Fahraeus, Sehonherr, Gen. et Sp. Cure, 1839, vol. 

 5, p. 192. 



This species occurs in the Southern States from South Carolina * 

 to Texas and in Mexico. The United States National Museum 

 material is from Brownsville, Devil's River, Columbus and Victoria, 

 Tex.; Baton Eouge and New Orleans, La.; Key West, Biscayne, 

 Enterprise, and Bartow, Fla. ; having been collected by Messrs. 

 Hubbard, Schwarz, Barber, Soltau, and Mitchell. 



The principal diagnostic characters are illustrated (figs. 50-62). 

 The joints of the antennal club are longer than in Discotenes. The 

 view of the underside of the head (fig. 51) shows many differences 

 from Discotenes. The two sexes may be separated aside from the 

 differences in the antennae by the side view of the beak. (Fig. 50.) 

 The protarsal claw (fig. 61) is quite different from Discotenes. A 

 view of the female genitalia (fig. 62) is also given which also shows 

 the pygidial groove. A fine sketch of the thoracic sternal plates 

 is presented. (Fig. 58.) Finally the mouth parts have been il- 

 lustrated from slide mounts. 



The labrum (fig. 52) really consists of two parts, a basal trans- 

 parent part, the postlabrum or clypeus, and a yellowish transpar- 

 ent part, the true labrum. It is slightly emarginate at apex, pro- 

 vided with a few apical bristles. Beneath (fig. 53) the epipharynx 

 is finely papillose in a semicircular area at the base of the labrum, 

 and converging on this area is a semicircle of marginal blunt spines 

 which form a bristling network. 



The mandibles (figs. 56, 57) differ only in specific characters from 

 Discotenes. 



The maxillae (fig. 54) are complete, being composed of cardo, stipes 

 with a basal piece and the main part to which is attached the 4- 

 jointed palpus, the elongate fingerlike galea and the tactile lacinia. 

 On the main part of stipes is a lobe with a row of strong bristles 

 just below the attachment of the palpus. The basal joint of the 

 palpus is small, the second large and inflated; the third smaller 

 but larger than the first; and the fourth elongate, tapering, but 

 truncate at apex; the palpus has very few hairs or spines. Galea 

 is clad with fine hairs or bristles, is diagonally truncate at apex 

 which is provided with a brush of bristles. Lacinia is provided on 

 the outer side with a strong double row of blunt spines. 



The labium (fig. 55) of the adult is transverse, subtrapezoidal, 

 brownish in color with two long spines at the basal angles. The 

 ligula is separated only by a difference of color, being yellow. 



^ It bas since been collected at Chesapeake Beach, Md., and on the Potomac River, 13 

 miles above the Capital, by H. S. Barber. 



