Mateeials, Their Taxonomy and Natural History 49 



species, and it further occurs in the region from which Stal's material probably 

 came. I have considered it best to retain his name for this division of the 

 species. 



BlOTYPB L. MXJLTITyENIATA-MULTILINEATA STAL. 

 (Plate 4, fig. 2.) 



Myocoryna multitmniata StS.1, 1859. Ofv. af. K. Vet. Ak. Forh., p. 316.3. 



Chrysomela multitmniata Stai, 1862. Monog. Chrys. Am., p. 165; considered 

 as synonym of L. decemlineata Say, and apparently confused with it; 

 Harold, 1874, Ber. Bnt. Zeit., p. 444, synonym with decemlineata; Jacohy, 

 1883, Biol. Centr. Am., also synonym with decemlineata, following Stai, 

 gives Mexico and Costa Rica as habitat of decemlineata incorrectly. 



Stal's description, which follows, taken from his monograph (Chrys. d. 

 I'Am.), fits perfectly the portion of multitmniata designated here as a biotype : 



" Ovalis, pallide flava, subtus cum capite prothoraceque nigro-maculata, hoc 

 sat convexo, minus dense, sat distincte, utrimque fortius punctato; elytris 

 subacervato-seriatim punctatis, sutura, margine inflexo posterius interstitiisque 

 alternis subaeneo-nigris ; antennis fere totis, apice femorum tarsisque nigris. 

 Long. 8 — 10, Lat. 5^—6 millim. 



" Patria: Mexico (Mus. Holm., etc.) ; Nebraska et Texas (see Eogers, 1. c.) 

 Praecedentibus afiSnis. Ovalis, sat convexa, pallide sordide flava vel straminea, 

 nitida. Caput subremote, distincte punctatum, lateribus baseos maculaque 

 media triangular!, interdimi etiam ore, nigris. Antennae basi flavo-testaceae, 

 articulis quinque apicalibus clavam indistinctam formantibus, subtransversis. 

 Prothorax elytris tertia parte angustior, lateribus parallelis, anterius angusta- 

 tus, disco minus dense, sat distincte, utrimque dense et fortius punctatus, sat 

 convexus, litura media ut littera V formata nee non maculis nonnuUis laterali- 

 bus, plus minus confluentibus, nigris, ornatus. Scutellum laeve, nigro-limba- 

 tum. Elytra lateribus parallelis, subacervato-seriatim distincte punctata, serie 

 punetorimi prima paullo ultra quartam partem elytrorum extensa, margine 

 inflexo posterius, sutura, vitta suturali anteriore angusta nee non utriusque 

 vittis quinque interstitia alterna occupantibus, omnibus prope basin, intermediis 

 tribus etiam prope apicem abbreviatis, subsuturali et marginali apice conjunctis, 

 subaeneo-nigris. Pectus nigro-maculatum. Ventris segmenta macula utrim- 

 que laterali fasciaque abbreviata basali, interdum interrupta, nigris ornata. 

 Pedes flavo-testacei, apice femorum tarsisque, interdum etiam macula femorum, 

 tibiarumque basi et apice aeneo-nigris. 



" J* Segmento ventrali ultimo apice truncate." 



Food, geographical distribution, habits, ecology, and juvenile stages exactly 

 like the remainder of the species. 



In life the elytral color is pale yellow-white, or rarely yellow in young, imma- 

 ture specimens. Its more narrow, anteriorly constricted pronotum, elongate 

 form, and general color in live specimens give no suggestion of decemlineata. 

 The reduced amount of fusion in the pronotal pattern, however, gives a con- 

 dition closely similar to the northern species; it possesses, however, entirely 

 different juvenile stages which are like L. multitwniata Stal. In collections, 

 especially where data of localities is poor, it might easily be confused with the 

 northern type. This " biotype " is identical in all respects, as here distinguished, 

 with a specimen in the " Baily Coll." in the British Museum labeled " multi- 

 lineata Stal," " Named by Stal," " Type Stal 176." 



