174 
THE ORDER OF COLEOPTERA. 
rived from a Greek word meaning a flea, in allusion to their power of 
leaping. 
» 
Sub family HISPEDES. 
This sub-family is founded upon the genus Rispa , of 
Linmeus, a contraction of the Latin word hispida, meaning 
rough, flu allusion to the deep sculpturing of the elytra, 
which usually consists in a number of elevated ribs with 
a double series of deep punctures between them. The an- 
tennm are short, straight, compact, closely approximate 
at base and regularly divergent at tip. These characters, 
together with their oblong and usually somewhat quadrate 
form, renders them one of the more easily recognizable groups in the 
whole order of Coleoptera. They are usually about a quarter of an inch 
in length or a little less, and their colors are black and red, either singly 
or combined. They seem to be a good deal confined to particular locali- 
ties, and therefore are not very commonly met with. The larvae are leaf- 
miners, feeding between the upper and lower laminae. They differ in 
form from other Chrysomelide larvae, and resemble more the larvae of 
the Cerambycidae, the head being much narrower than the body, and 
the three first segments being wider than the following ones. Their 
form and habits were first described by Dr. T. W. Harris, from species 
found upon the Oak, the Apple and the Locust. 
TheHispides present two strongly marked genera: Rispa, moderately 
elongated and with strongly sculptured elytra, and Stenispa, much elon- 
gated and narrow, and with the elytra smooth and shining, and very 
faintly puncto-striate. The latter contains but two known species : the 
metalUca, Fab., of a shining brassy black color, not quite a quarter of 
an inch long; and the collaris, of Baly, similar but having the thorax 
red. The former is widely distributed, and the latter inhabits the Iudian 
Territory. 
Rispa proper is limited to the small black European species, originally 
described by Linnaeus, to which the term hispid is peculiarly appropriate, 
beiDg beset with minute spines. The American species have beeu divi. 
ded into two genera : 
A. Antennae 11-jointed ; sculpture regular and distinct Odontota. 
A A. Antennse 8-jointed ; sculpture usually irregular or imperfect Microriiopala. 
The regular sculpturing consists of deep punctures upon the thorax, 
and elevated ribs ( costce J upon the elytra, with a double row of numer- 
ous punctures between them. The species of Odontota, Gliev., (same as 
Anoplitis, Kirby,) may be arranged according to their color, as follows. 
The length of each species is added in decimals of an inch ; thus 0.24 
expresses twenty-four hundredths of an inch. ■ 
[Kg. 88.] 
Hispa : — a, larva ; 
6, b e e 1 1 e — a f t e r 
Westwood. 
