194 FLORIDA HEM1PTERA 



Uhler. which pertains to genus Flatoidcs Guerin and is closely 

 related to punctatus Walker. In these species the vertex is 

 nearly or quite as long as the pronotum and distinctly angled. 

 I have separated acutus from punctatus by its smaller size, the 

 blunter apex of the head and the trispinose posterior tibiae, but 

 these species are very closely related and may not be distinct. 

 Flatoides liclienosus Melichar seems to differ only in the dark 

 atoms sprinkled along the nervures of the elytra. It is probable 

 that the Florida specimens noticed by Dr. Uhler under acutus 

 pertain to punctatus as separated here. Walker's Elidiptera 

 punctifera has a very short vertex, according to his description, 

 and may belong to my genus Eur oc alia. 



The forms of Flatoides allied to punctatus constitute a very 

 puzzling group of species which was placed in Cyarda by Stal 

 in 1862 but not in 1866, and in Dascalia by Uhler. Stal in 

 1866 distinguished Dascalia from Flatoides and its allies by its 

 having the longitudinal nervures of the elytra united by two 

 series of transverse veinlets and at and beyond these simple and 

 parallel ; while in Flatoides there is at most but one regular 

 series, and the longitudinal nervures are more or less furcate to 

 the apex. As thus distinguished Dascalia would include Eli- 

 diptera punctata Walker and its allies but Melichar adds to the 

 characters named by Stal the short transverse vertex and nearly 

 vertical elytra which have their apical margins in contact for 

 most of their width. As Melichar has studied most of the 

 species listed by Stal under Dascalia it seems but reasonable to 

 accept his limitations for the genus. This would necessitate 

 the placing of Dascalia acuta and guttata of Uhler and Elidip- 

 tera punctata of Walker in Flatoides along with fuscus Van 

 Duzee, liehenosus Melichar, griseus Melichar, signatus Melichar 

 and tortrix Guerin, in a little group of species which must be 

 considered as typical as it includes Guerin's type species. In 

 his synoptic table of 1866 Stal rightly defines genus Cyarda but 

 unwarrantably places his own name after it as authority and 

 misled by this Kirkaldy has renamed "Cyarda Stal, 1866" as 

 GelastopJiantia which name must therefore fall as a synonym of 

 Cyarda Walker. If the large genus Flatoides has to be dis- 

 membered, as is not unlikely, the southern forms with a more 

 simple elytral venation, and including my monilis from Jamaica, 

 will have to be renamed unless Phalcenomorpha A. & S. should 

 prove to be available for this group. 



