North American Rhynchopliora. 279 



APPENDIX. 



SITONIN^. 



SITOIVES Germ. 



The genus Sitones consists of numerous species which are mu- 

 tually rather closely allied, not only in general appearance, but 

 in structure. The European forms have been well studied and 

 appear to be much more abundant than the American, but 

 whether this is an actual fact, or whether the disparity is due 

 rather to the neglect of collection and observation on the part of 

 our coleopterists, it would not be prudent to affirm at present. 

 It is true, however, that on the Pacific coast, where the faunal 

 conditions are more similar to those prevailing in Europe, the 

 species are very abundant and distinctly characterized. 



The causes of the neglect of our species by specialists in this 

 country are, doubtless, their monotony and the great sexual dif« 

 ferences in some species, which often render — as in Macrops — an 

 accurate identification a matter of more or less doubt. In the 

 western species, however, there are but two or three of those 

 coming under my observation which possess these sexual diver- 

 gencies, and there are many species in which the males and fe- 

 males are nearly alike. 



To give a better idea of the number of our species, it may be 

 well to state that I have been unable to identify among the 

 numerous species here brought to notice either caUfornicus, 

 senicuhcs or vittatus, in the case of the last after an inspection of 

 the LeContean type. The second mentioned is so carelessly and in- 

 accurately described by Mannerheim that it is doubtful if it can 

 ever be recognized, the expression '^cinereo-tomentosus,''^ for 

 instance, being perfectly foreign to any known species of Sitones 

 in North America, for they are all distinctly squamose. My 

 material from the Mississippi Valley is not sufficiently extensive 

 to enable me to assign species to the names indiff evens and scis- 

 sifrons of Say, and this must be reserved until the genus can be 

 monographically revised. 



