THE LAMELLICOBX BEETLES. 949 



XVIII. HoPLiA Illiger. 1^03. (Gr., "arms."" ' 



(Jblong. more or less flattened in>ei:ts. Ihdng on flowers by day, 

 beneath cover at night, and having the body entirely or in part cov- 

 ered with flat scales of a yellowish, brownish or silvery hue; claws 

 of front and middle tarsi chelate and unequal, the outer one being 

 larger and bifid at tip: seutellimi Miiall ; club of antennae three- 

 .iointed. The two sexes dfteu diflr'er much in size and color and the 

 niMles have the hind tibi;e and taisi stouter. 



KEY TO IXrJT.VXA SPECirS (JF HOPLIA. 



'/. Claw of hind tarsi not cleft. 



6. Sexes dissimilar in color, male black, hairy with grayish pubescence ; 

 female brown with pale bruwn and yellowish silvery scales : thorax 

 wide, narrowed in front, its sides siibangulate and rounded. 



1T91. TBITASCIATA. 



hb. Both st-xes dull black, thinly clothed with elongate grayish scales: 

 thorax with sides oblique, slishtly rounded; clyjieus more smmgly 

 margined in front. 1TU2. tbivialis. 



Off. Claw of hind tarsi cleft near the tip. 



c. Sides of thorax stn^ngly an.gulnted : black, sides of thorax, suture and 

 margins of elytra and two oblique branches with silvery scales. 



ITfi:^. LlilBATA. 



cc. Sides of thorax either broadly rounded or nearly straight. 



(/. Brown, clothed with very small scales, these oval on thorax, nar- 

 row and hair-like on elytra. 1794. modesta. 

 rhl. Dull brownish yellow, very densely clothed with silvery si-ales. these 

 circular on thorax, broadly oval on ehtra. 



lT04a. var. babbata. 



ITill (.iC'iii). HoPLiA TBITASCIATA Say. .Toum. Phil. Acad. Xat. Sci.. III. 

 1S2.1. 2i10; ibid- II. 301. 



()l^lln^. Male dull lilack : thorax and elytra rather densely clothed 

 with elongate .grayisli-yellow jinsti-ate hairs or hair-like scales: pygidiuni 

 and abdomen densely iiivered \vith silvery si-ales; these replaced by erect 

 gray hairs on front of under surface and legs. Female with head black; 

 thorax and elytra reddisli-brown, covered with yellowish scales, some of 

 those of elytra usually more densely placed so as to form three irregular, 

 undulated bands, (-ne at base, another at middle and a third near apex: 

 entire under surfai-e clothed with silvery s.ales. Head and thorax in both 

 sexes with numerous erei-t giayish or yellowish hairs. Clyiieus truncate, 

 the front edge refiexed. Leugth 6.5-0 mra. 



Lake. Starke and Vilto counties: siaree. April ~--^Iay 27. Oc- 

 curs on flowers of Cratcegus, etc. Passes the winter in pupal stage 

 beneath half-buried logs and other cover. The black males appear 

 to be rare, but one having been taken in the State. 



