ON  CANTHARIDES  OF  THE  ARGENTINE  PROVINCES.  269 
and  figured  by  Brandt  and  Erichson,  in  the  Transactions  of  the 
Acad.  C93sar.  Leop.  Car.,  vol.  xvi.  pi.  i.  p.  103,  t.  8,  is  found 
in  the  Banda  Oriental.  I  have  myself  collected,  during  my 
travels  in  the  Argentine  Provinces,  two  new  species, — the  one 
in  Mendoza  (M.  sanguinolentus,  nob.),  the  other  in  Catamarca, 
M.  ebeninuz,  nob.)  These  four  species  are  hitherto  only  known 
to  exist  in  this  part  of  South  America. 
The  Cantharides  are  far  more  numerous,  not  only  in  other 
countries,  but  also  in  the  Argentine  Republic.  Entomologists 
divide  them  into  various  genera,  of  which  I  have  met  with  the 
following  in  this  country  : — 
1.  Horia  rnaculata,  Fabr  This  lives  with  the  great  bees 
which  make  their  nests  in  the  trunks  of  vines,  and  are  called 
Mangangas  (Xylocopa).  The  beetle  destroys  the  bee  by  eating 
up  its  food,  and  even  the  bee  itself  in  the  grub  state.  It  is  the 
largest  of  all  our  native  cantharides,  being  above  an  inch  long. 
It  is  of  a  yellow  color,  with  black  spots  on  the  elytra. 
2.  Tetraonyx,  Latr. — This  has  the  body  more  robust— shorter 
and  proportionally  broader— than  the  other  genera  of  the  same 
family;  it  has  also  the  antennre  less  elongated  and  rather 
thicker  ;  and  the  tarsi  short,  with  broad  triangular  articulations. 
I  have  collected  three  Argentine  species  of  this  genus,  one  in 
Tucuman,  two  in  Mendoza. 
3.  Cantharis,  Latr.  (Lytta,  Fabr.) — Body  longer  or  shorter, 
narrow  ;  antennae  long,  slender  ;  feet  elongated,  with  narrow 
slender  articulations :  these  characters  distinguish  the  true 
cantharides  from  allied  genera.  It  is  the  most  numerous  group 
of  all,  containing  above  100  species.  I  have  collected  in  the 
Argentine  Provinces  up  to  this  date  eight  species,  of  which  only 
three  were  previously  known.  I  shall  confine  myself  to  naming 
these  three,  which  are  : — 
Cantharis  adspersa  (Lytta  adspersa,  King,  Nova  Acad.  C.  L. 
C.  Ac.  vol.  xii.  pi.  2,  p.  434,  t.  25). — It  is  this  species  which  is 
known  here  as  the  Biclio  moro,  and  is  so  abundant  in  our  gar- 
dens, where  it  does  great  damage  by  eating  seedling  plants.  I 
have  found  it  also  in  the  Banda  Oriental,  and  in  the  province 
of  Mendoza. 
Cantharis  punctata  (Lytta  punctata,  Germar,  Spec.  Insect, 
Nov.  i.  175,  287). — Very  like  the  Biclio  moro ;  but  the  elytra 
