Ti l E LAMELLICOEN BEETLES. 



949 



XVIII. Hoplia Illiger. 1803. (Or., "arms.") 



Oblong, more or less flattened insects, living 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 : scutellum small ; club of antennas three- 

 jointed. The two sexes often differ much in size and color and the 

 males have the hind tibiae and tarsi stouter. 



KEY TO INDIANA SPECIES OF HOPLIA. 



a. Claw of hind tarsi not cleft. 



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

 female brown with pale brown and yellowish silvery scales ; thorax 

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



1791. TRIFASCIATA. 



bh. Both sexes dull black, thinly clothed with elongate grayish scales; 

 thorax with sides oblique, slightly rounded ; clypeus more strongly 

 margined in front. 1792. trivialis. 



aa. Claw of hind tarsi cleft near the tip. 



c. Sides of thorax strongly angulated ; black, sides of thorax, suture and 

 margins of elytra and two oblique branches with silvery scales. 



1793. limbata. 



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



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

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

 dd. Dull brownish-yellow, very densely clothed with silvery scales, these 

 circular on thorax, broadly oval on elytra. 



* 1791a. var. barbata. 



1791 (5650). Hoplia trieasciata Say, Journ. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci,, III, 

 1823, 200; ibid. II, 301. 

 Oblong. Male dull black; thorax and elytra rather densely clothed 

 with elongate grayish-yellow prostrate hairs or hair-like scales; pygidium 

 and abdomen densely covered with silvery scales ; these replaced by erect 

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

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

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

 undulated bands, one at base, another at middle and a third near apex; 

 entire under surface clothed with silvery scales. Head and thorax in both 

 sexes with numerous erect grayish or yellowish hairs. Clypeus truncate, 

 the front edge reflexed. Length 6.5-9 mm. 



Lake, Starke and Vigo counties; scarce. April 8-May 27. Oc- 

 curs on flowers of Cratmgus, 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. 



