26 
Psyche 
[March- June 
specimens of a few other species also complicate reliance 
on the abdominal stripes, so that maintenance of Neota- 
banus even as a subgenus appears to be only a matter of 
arbitrary taxonomic convenience as discussed elsewhere 
(Philip, 1941). Those undertaking assignment of Neota - 
harms, furthermore, will be faced with clarification of the 
puzzling description of the head of trilineatus Latr., the 
genotype species. 
The Neotropical fauna of this group shows more varia- 
tion than the Nearctic, as reflected in the numerous specific 
names proposed by various students particularly in Europe. 
Only a few of these names are recognizable at present. 
Bequaert (1940b) has provided useful copies of some of 
these scattered descriptions, while Krober reports personal 
study of many of the European types. Until all the per- 
tinent types can further be studied by a competent student, 
particularly those of Bellardi, any review such as the pres- 
ent will have to rest on tentative opinions, interpretations, 
and comparison of available materials, using both sexes 
wherever possible. 
The Nearctic T. lineola of authors is a variable complex, 
and material at hand appears to provide at least 5 forms 
and possibly more if sexes could be correctly associated. 
Were it not for evidence of differing males, these forms in 
part would justify Bequaert’s opinion that neither the color 
of the femora and scutellum, nor the “appendix to the fork 
of the third vein offer reliable specific characters.” An 
enumeration of these variants will show the necessity for 
some qualification of this opinion, however. The shapes 
of palpi and colors of areas of enlarged facets in identical 
series of males are too variable unfortunately, to be of much 
supplemental, diagnostic aid. 
Independently, Fairchild (unpublished) has come to con- 
clusions regarding significant, diagnostic characters in the 
group very close to those of the author. Since a considera- 
tion of specific trends in both the Nearctic and Neotropical 
faunae is necessary for a rational treatment of either, it is 
a pleasure to acknowledge personal collaboration with Fair- 
child in arriving at an agreement on the systematic arrange- 
ment in best accord with present, available information. An 
unfortunate paucity of information regarding the inter- 
