The Genus Scaphoideus. 



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cous band between the eyes with a projecting tooth at center, 

 base and anterior part white or yellowish white. Face white, 

 two black lines on upper part. Pronotum more than twice 

 wider than long, brown with transverse whitish band in front 

 of the middle, often with light median stripe back from this 

 to posterior margin. Elytra cupreous brown with whitish 

 hyaline spots; two to four oblique reflexed veins from outer 

 anteapical cell or tip of discal cell. 



Genitalia: 9 , ultimate ventral segment truncate or very 

 slightly produced at center, sometimes barely notched at 

 middle on hind border, black patch covering central part 

 about half way to base; 'd , valve short; plates short, outer 

 margin curved or sub-angular. Widely distributed in United 

 States. Specimens are in hand from Vermont, New York, 

 New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Col- 

 orado, Michigan, District of Columbia, Alabama, Texas, and 

 California. 



This species presents great variability, and many of the 

 variations seem to defy limitation, passing by such insensible 

 grades as to make precise definition impossible. The follow- 

 ing forms seem to be fairly well defined, and are characterized 

 as a step toward the designation of limits, which may be pos- 

 sible when food plants and larval characters are known. 



Some, indeed, seem so different in size and other charac- 

 ters as to be worthy of specific distinction, but these differ- 

 ences seem to me to be too inconstant to fully warrant other 

 than varietal distinction. 



Var. mi?ior, n. var. length 9, 5 mm; cT , 4.25-4.50 mm. 

 Vertex slightly more obtuse than typical immistus, face often 

 deeply infuscated. 9 , last ventral segment usually slightly 

 produced, and generally appearing somewhat carinate, due to 

 compression against ovipositor, d plates folded at sides and 

 apparently longer than in typical immistus. Ames, Iowa; 

 July and August. Abundant. 



Var. ?najor y n. var. Length to tip of elytra, 9 7 mm, d\ 

 6mm. Vertex with dark fuscous cross band with a liguliform 

 projection at middle, marginal line broad and broken at apex. 

 Face infuscated, especially at sutures. 9 , ultimate ventral 

 segment very slightly produced, pygofers long, d plates 

 broad, scarcely reflexed at sides, sub-angulate at outer mar- 



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