AET. 17 NORTH AMERICAN WEEVILS PIERCE 23 



PHOENICOBIELLA CHAMAEEOPIS LeConte 



PhoenicoMus chamaeropis LeConte, Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc, 1876, vol. 15, 

 p. 401. 



Common on fresh cut leaves of palmetto, Sahal 'palmetto {Ghamae- 

 rops) in Florida (LeConte, 1876; Schwarz, 1878). It lives in the 

 leaf stems (Schwarz). It is also at hand from Savannah, Georgia 

 (G. Noble) and New Orleans, Louisiana, May 7, June 2 (H. Soltau). 



PHOENICOBIELLA SCHWARZI Schaeffer 



PhoenicoMella scMvarzi Schaeffee, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, 1906, vol. 32, p. 273. 



Collected inside of dead leaf stem of Sahal mexicana^ August 14, 

 by C. H. T. Townsend at Brownsville, Tex.* It was also taken 

 June 7, 1895, by E. A. Schwarz at Brownsville, Tex. 



Genus PIESOCORYNUS Dejean 



Piesoconjnus Dejean, Cat. Coleop., 1837, ed. 3, p. 257. Type, dispar (Gyllenhal), 



monotype. 

 Piezocorynus Schonheek, Gen. et Sp. Cure, 1839, vol. 5, pt. 1, p. 250. Type, 



dispar (Dejean) Gyllenhal by original designation. 



TABLE OF NORTH AMERICAN SPECIES OF PIESOCORYNUS ^ 



1. Prothorax with two shallow depressions and three elevations occupying 



the middle third; antennae not very slender; eighth antennal joint longer 

 than the ninth in the male and equal in the female; elytra with discal 



areas lighter brown plagifer Jordan. 



Prothorax without impressions or elevations ; antennae very slender ; eighth 

 antennal joint equal to the ninth in the male and shorter than the ninth 

 in the female 2, 



2, Pubescence mottled yellow brown and black mixtus LeConte. 



Pubescence nearly black, elytra more tuberculate moestus LeConte. 



Blackish brown, alternate elytral intervals tessellated with black and 



yellowish spots (female unknown) tesselatus Schaeffer. 



* Schaeffer, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, 1906, vol. 32, p. 274. 



^ After the ahove treatment of Piesocorynus was written by Pierce, an additional species 

 of the genus P. virginicus was described by Leng (Journ. N. T. Ent. Soc, vol. 26, 1918, 

 p. 11). The introduction of this species into Pierce's key brings about troublesome com- 

 plications that are easiest avoided by adopting a somewhat different classification ; accord- 

 ingly, a new synoptic Ijey has been prepared. The writer has been very materially aided 

 by the generosity of Mr. Charles Schaeffer, who loaned the holotype of Piesocorynus 

 tesselatus Schaeffer, and of Mr, W. T. Davis, who presented a paratype of P. virginicus 

 Leng to the National Museum. 



In the key which follows mention is made of the " postscuteUar carina." (See p. 1.) 

 This structure is visible only when the prothorax is bent downward or otherwise slightly 

 separated from the mesothorax ; it originates just below the lateral extremity of the dorsal 

 transverse carina and extends inwardly along the deflexed, subvertical face of the pronotal 

 base, between the transverse carina and the extreme basal margin of pronotum. 



The elytra of all the species are minutely granulate ; this feature, though largely 

 obscured by the vestiture, can generally be observed on the basal median callus, or on and 



