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Systena - 2

he did so on account of Say's description of the thorax as having "prominent or excurved hind angles" and because Say had compared it with G. elongata. (2)

2) LeConte (Smithson.Contrib.Knowl,vol.11,p.16,1859) appears to regard taeniata as synonymous with "H. elongata Fab." Galleruca elongata Fab., described from the collection of Smith Barton, is commonly interpreted as the densely punctate eastern species of Systena, from which Say's description differs chiefly in the matter of punctuation.

In his table of species, Horn synonymized with taeniata LeGonte's species ligata, ochracea, mitis, and bitaeniata, and Melsheimer's species blanda, the types of all of which are in existence in the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Cambridge, as well as S. pallidula Boh. In his discussion of taeniata, Horn recognized as intergrading varieties LeConte's species ligata, ochracea, and mitis, and Melsheimer's blanda, but did not discuss at all the species bitaeniata and pallidula. The types of all of these except pallidula have been examined and not one of them agrees in every respect with Say's description of taeniata. A cotype of S. pallidula Boh., kindly sent to me from the Stockholm Museum, also proves to be quite unlike Say's description. In fact the writer has been unable to find a species of Systena that does entirely fit A. taeniata as described by Say. Since Say's type of taeniata is no longer in existence, and since his description cannot be applied with certainty to any one of the four species here distinguished in the material that has hitherto been called taeniata, it seems necessary to drop the name.

[[note at bottom of page]]
For these species is it not possible that this name applied to a species other than the four you mention? All you can say is that none of the four is apparent taeniata.

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I could no figure out how to reverse the page back to read from left to right???