THE PLEASING FUNGUS BEETLES. 



547 



VII. Tritoma Fab, 1775. (Gr., "three + joint. ") 



Small oval or oblong* species, black or reel and black in color, 

 having the antenna! club 3- or 4- jointed, the last joint of maxillary 

 palpi broadly dilated and the middle area of mentnm small and 

 triangular. Some of the species are to be found by hundreds in 

 fungi during the summer and autumn, having resorted thereto to 

 deposit their eggs, which hatch into maggot-like larvae which feed 

 upon the juices of the fungi. About 15 species are known from the 

 United States, eight of which have been taken in Indiana, while two 

 others may occur. 



KEY TO INDIANA SPECIES OF TRITOMA. 



a. Elytra more or less red. 



1). Red of elytra limited to spots on humerus. 



c. Under side piceous-black, the apex of last segment alone pale. 



1045. HUMEEALIS. 



cc. Under side entirely pale. 1046. biguttata. 



hb. Elytra nearly entirely red or with broad central reddish-yellow band. 



d. Form oval ; elytra red with outer margins black. 



1047. MIMETICA. 



<1<1 Form oblong; elytra with broad central band of reddish-yellow. 



1048. FESTIVA. 



aa. Elytra wholly black. 



e. Head and thorax of same color as elytra. 



f. Beneath piceous, the legs and palpi brownish-yellow. 



1049. AXGTJLATA. 



ff. Beneath black, the tarsi and palpi piceous. 1050. unicolor. 

 ec. Head or thorax or both, paler than elytra. 



g. Head reddish-yellow, thorax and elytra concolorous. 



ERYTHROCEPHALA. 



gg. Head and thorax both yellow. 

 h. Body beneath reddish-yellow. 

 i. Antennae entirely black ; elytral intervals obsoletely punctulate. 



MACRA. 



U. Antennae black, red at base ; elytral intervals sparsely but dis- 

 tinctly punctate. 1051. thoracica. 

 hh. Body black beneath. 1052. flavicollis. 



1045 (3225). Tritoma hi meralis Fab., Syst. Eleut., II. 1801, 571. 



Broadly oval. Black; antennae, legs and a subquad- 

 rate spot near the humerus of each elytron, reddish-yel- 

 low. Head and thorax distinctly and rather closely punc- 

 tate. Elytra with rows of fine punctures, the intervals 

 very obsoletely punctulate. Length 3-4 mm. (Fig. 206.) 



Southern half of State ;~ frequent. Xot yet taken 

 in the northern counties. April 22-September 29. (mL? wickhanT) 



