THE BUPRESTIANS. 49 



covers divaricate or spread apart a little at the tips. (Plate 

 II. Fig. 7.) These beetles are copper-colored, sometimes 

 brassy above, and thickly covered with little punctures ; the 

 thorax is slightly furrowed in the middle ; the wing-covers 

 are marked with numerous fine irregular impressed lines and 

 small oblong square elevated black spots ; they taper very 

 much behind, and the long and narrow tips are blunt-pointed ; 

 the middle of the breast is furrowed ; and the males have 

 a little tooth on the under-side of the shanks of the inter- 

 mediate legs. They measure from seven to nine tenths of 

 an inch. These beetles may be found sunning themselves 

 upon the limbs of cherry and peach trees during the months 

 of June, July, and August. 



The borer of the hickory has already been described. It 

 is transformed to a beetle which appears to be n g .23. 

 the Buprestis (Dicerca) lurida * (Fig. 23) of 

 Fabricius. It is of a lurid or dull brassy color 

 above, bright copper beneath, and thickly punc- 

 tured all over ; there are numerous irregular 

 impressed lines, and several narrow elevated 

 black spots on the wing-covers, the tip of each of which ends 

 with two little points. It measures from about six to eight 

 tenths of an inch in length. This kind of Buprestis appears 

 during the greater part of the summer on the trunks and 

 limbs of the hickory. 



Buprestis ( Chrysoboihris) dentipes f (Fig. 24) of Germar, 

 so named from the little tooth on the under-side vig u 

 of the thick fore legs, inhabits the trunks of oak- 

 trees. It completes its transformations and comes 

 out of the trees between the end of May and the 

 first of July. It is oblong, oval, and flattened, 

 of a bronzed brownish or purplish-black color 

 above, copper-colored beneath, and rough like shagreen with 





* Buprestis obscura, F., found in the Middle and Southern States, closely resem- 

 bles the lurida. 

 t Buprestis characteristica, Harris. N. E. Farmer, Vol. VIII. p. 2. 



7 



