12 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



specialized as can be seen by reference to figure 3. The species which 

 possesses the greatest number of these characters is m u t i c a . It is 

 true that it lacks the spine at the apex of the elytra, but it has the nar- 

 rowed thorax, small head and the antennae with an enlarged, dark 

 basal joint. These two species form a group by themselves closely 

 approached by h o r n i i (which is nearly related to the European 

 s i m i 1 i s) ; it has the annulated antennae, but the first joint is nor- 

 mal and the thorax is nearly cylindric, in some specimens entirely so. 

 The color and maculation are much like those of m u t i c a . We then 

 come to the European carcharias, with its narrowed thorax and 

 annulated antennae. The humeral angles are quite prominent and 

 the elytra tapering. The nearest American representative is Can- 

 dida, an insect which at first would not seem to belong here, but 

 that is due more to the color and markings, characters of the smallest 

 value, since, if we omit the color from consideration, we shall find 

 that the shape and structure are very similar to carcharias, as 

 represented by the narrowed thorax, small head, prominent humeral 

 angles and tapering elytra. The unicolorous antennae show Can- 

 dida to be less specialized than this European species. Calcar- 

 a t a , our next species, is also somewhat related to carcharias 

 and leads naturally to tridentata, which is of the same general 

 shape and has in addition the elytra truncate and weakly sinuate at 

 tip, evidently an early stage of the sutural spine found in c a 1 - 

 carata. Tridentata has a character (a submarginal carina 

 beginning at the humeral angle and continuing to the apex) not 

 present in any other of our forms, but which, strange to say, has its 

 counterpart in some old world species. 1 



The remaining species appear to follow in regular order as given 

 in Henshaw's list, except that f a y i would more naturally follow 

 lateralis, since it has the rounded head possessed by the species 

 that follow and the same gall-making habit. The spine on its front 

 claws is very small and rudimentary, approaching the condition of 



lr This character is made use of by Bates to form the genus Eutatrapha, 

 to which he refers 16-p u n c t a t a , varicornis and metal - 

 lescens. It would also include tridentata. [See p. 6] 



