Cambridge Entomological Club, 1874
PSYCHE

A Journal of Entomology

founded in 1874 by the Cambridge Entomological Club
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This is the CEC archive of Psyche through 2000. Psyche is now published by Hindawi Publishing.

C. A. Frost.
Variations of Orsodachna atra - Coleoptera.
Psyche 19(5):153-156, 1912.

This article at Hindawi Publishing: https://doi.org/10.1155/1912/47149
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191$il Frost-Variations of Orsodachna Atra 153 shining black with a circle of reddish spines at the end of the ovipositor. Length,
13 mm.
The male (holotype) was taken about two miles above Bashbish Fallsy Mass., June WY 1912y and the female (allotype) on Mt. Equinox, near Manchester, Vt.> June 5, 1910. Types are in the New England collection of the Boston Society of Naturd History. I referred a .,single specimen of this species provisionally to C. nigripes Will., but an examination of a specimen of that species in the U. S. National Museum proves them to be distinct. It is readiIy distinguished from C. nigripes by its yellow tibk and tarsi, and brownish not "pure hyaline" wings.
Nicocles politus Say.
This species was taken by Mr. A. P. Morse at Haggetts Pond, Essex Cony Mass.å Sept. 21, 1911.
The only other rec~rd for
this species in New England, is in the Harris collection, Cam- bridge (Mt. Aub~rn)~ Mass.> Aug. 1, 1836. '
Promachus fitchii 0. S.
This species has been captured at Dudleyy Mass., July loy 1911, and Southbridgey Mass., July 7 and 8, 1912, by Stanley W. Brom- ley. The previous New England records are Amhersty and Mt. Tom, Mass.å July 14.
VARIATIONS OF ORSODACHNA ATRA-COLEOPTERA. By C. A. FROST,
Framingham? Mass.
An interesting series of this beetle was taken on the flowers of a clump of Viburnum bushes growing beside a road in the town of Paris, Maine, on June 15, 1910. There were no other clusters of the bushes to be seen in the vicinityy and the sumounding country was largely cultivated, with a few bushes along the road. The elevation is in the neighborhood of 800 feet above the sea level. The following descriptions of the color variations may be worth presenting :




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154 Pqche [October
Two specimens.-Piceous black except the base of femora, basal half of tibiz, base of tarsal joints, and the antennz beneath, which are testaceous; first antenna1 joint, and the fourth to tenth inclu- sive, dark above, except at the bases. Length 6 mm. These are tibidis Kirby.
Two specimens.-Head, body, and elytra black. Thorax red*
dish.
~ e ~ s mostly reddish-testabe6us in one, and mainly black in the other. Antennz partly dark above as in previous specimens. Length 6 and 4 mm.
Hepatica Say.
One specimen.-All black except for humeral spots, posterior half of epipleure, gular region, mouth parts, antenne, and the greater portion of the legs, which are testaceous. Length 4.5 mm. One specimen.-Similar to the last with the addition of a tes- taceous apical spot on each elytron, and with the femora darker at tip. Length 5 mm.
One specimen.-Similar to the last two but with a smaller apical spot and with the antennz lighter above; front and middle legs lighter. Length 3.5 mm.
One specimen.-Similar to the last but with the humeral spot extending behind the middle, legs entirely light, antennz lighter, light area of epipleurz extending farther forward. Length 4.5 mm. The last three specimens appear to answer to the variety ,
childreni Kirby.
One specimen.-Similar to the last but with half of the front and all of the under side of the head testaceous, front angles of the prothorax with a testaceous area extending back along the sides, anterior portion of the prothorax beneath reddish testaceous, part of hind femora piceous. Length 5.2 mm. Between luctuosa Lac. and childreni Kirby.
One specimen.-A11 testaceous except occipital spot, body beneath, and a broad post-median band, equaling one-third of the elytra, which extends along the suture and margins to the base, sends out a short submarginal spur posteriorly and darkens the suture nearly to the apex of the elytra; there are also two darker spots and an anterior transverse line on the disk of the prothorax. Length 5.6 mm.
One specimen.-Similar to the last but having the post-median band interrupted near the suture. The metasternal side pieces



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19121 Frost-Varidions of Orsodachna Atra 155 and the posterior cox= are here lighter than the abdomen. This
approaches trivittata Lac. in color.
Length 6 mm.
One specimen .-All testaceous but the metasternum, abdomen, a triangular spot near the middle of the elytra extending part way to the humeral angles, the apex of elytra, and a portion of the suture, which are black.
Length 6 mm,
One specimen.-Similar to the last with the dark areas still further reduced and the abdomen showing a testaceous shade. Prothorax more reddish yellow. This specimen, at first glance, appears to be entirely testaceous. Length 7 mm. One specimen.-This has a general fuscous shade with a discal stripe on the elytra lighter. Prothorax reddish. Length 5 mm. Vittata Say (?).
In all the above specimens the punctation is about the same; irregularly, coarsely punctate on the prothorax, where the punc- ,
tures are separated by one to four times their own diameter, becoming closer at the sides; they are closer and more regular on the elytra.
A series taken by me at Fraser, Colorado, July 4, 1911, at an elevation of about 8,000 feet, have the punctation exactly like those from Maine. This series has three specimens of the variety childre&, one near tibialis, and the rest near trivittata. A number of specimens near the last variety were taken on the top of Lookout Mountain near Golden, Colorado, about 7,000 feet. The varia- tions in length are from 4 to 7 mm.
Another series of five specimens, received from Dr. A. Fenyes, taken at Ahwahnee, California, in May, have the elytra so closely punctured, especially on the disk, that the punctures are nearly confluent transversely, causing the elytra to appear rugose. All but one of these specimens have the prothorax reddish, the excep- tion having a discal black spot. Three of them have the base of the femora and part of the tibi~ and tarsi reddish yellow. In color these appear to be near hepatica Say. They vary in length from 5 to 7.5 mm.
Through the kindness of my friend, Mr. William M. Mann, I have been able to examine a series of five specimens from "Corte Madera Creek, Cal,, 111-16-1900," and another of ten specimens from " Pullman, Wash., IV-21-09.''
The California specimens have the normal punctation, like



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