Key to the Alabama Species of Longitarsus
Longitarsus varicornis Suffrian
Longitarsus alternatus (Ziegler)*
Longitarsus testaceous (Melsheimer)
Longitarsus perforatus Horn*
Longitarsus misellus Blatchley*

1. Second, 3rd, and 4th antennal segments subequal in length; elytra unicolorous or suture      occasionally darker (but not laterally darker) ….. 2
    Second, 3rd, and 4th antennal segments successively longer; each elytron red-brown with      mid-lateral brown-black cloud ….. L. varicornis
2. Elytral punctation absent or confused ….. 3
    Elytral punctation substriate….. L. perforatus
3. Color red-brown, shining….. 4
    Color yellow-brown, dull ….. L. testaceous
4. Elytra strongly convex, wingless, smaller (1.6-1.9 mm.) ….. L. misellus
    Elytra not so convex, disc flat; winged; large (2.1 mm.) ….. L. alternatus

Longitarsus varicornis Suffrian

Longitarsus varicornis Suffrian, 1868, Arch. f. Naturg. 34: 215.
Longitarsus subcinctus Harold, 1876, Col. Hefte 15: 30.
Longitarsus heliophyti Horn, 1889, Trans. Amer. Entomol. Soc. 16: 277.
     Oblong oval, strongly convex. Shining red-brown, each elytron with mid-lateral, brown-black cloud. Antennae segments 4-11 black, basal 3 segments and anterior and middle legs yellow. Antennal joints 2, 3, and 4 successively longer. Posterior legs and venter red-brown. Length 1.9-2.1 mm. Width 1.0-1.1 mm.
     Alabama records: 16 specimens from Baldwin¹, Dallas³, Macon¹, Mobile^2,3, and Monroe^2,3 counties.
     Seasonal distribution: March 25-August 21.
     Remarks: This species may be collected by sweeping Heliotropium indicum.

Longitarsus alternatus (Ziegler)*

Psylliodes alternata Ziegler, 1846, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 2: 271.
Longitarsus rubicundus Melsheimer, 1847, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 3: 166.
Longitarsus rubidus LeConte, 1859, Col. of Kans., p. 26.
     Oblong oval. Shining red-brown. Antennae 3/4 length of body, basal 4 segments red-brown, 2, 3, and 4 of equal of subequal length, 5-11 piceous. Prothorax 1/3 wider than long, shining, impunctate. Elytra wider at base than prothorax, humeri rounded, umbones faintly indicated, shining, faintly punctate on disc. Winged. Length 2.1 mm. Width 1.1 mm.
     Alabama records: 1 specimen from Cleburne¹ County.
     Seasonal distribution: August 15.
     Remarks: This specimen was collected by L. G. Sanford. It is slightly smaller in length than material from Ohio, 2.4 mm. (94), Pennsylvania and Colorado, 2.5 mm. (65).

Longitarsus testaceous (Melsheimer)

Thyamis testacea Melsheimer, 1847, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 3: 166.
     Oblong oval. Yellow-brown. Head slightly darker. Antennae 3/4 of body length, dark brown, basal 5 segments yellow-brown, segments 2, 3, and 4 subequal in length. Prothorax 1/3 wider than long, alutaceous, finely, sparsely to moderately punctate. Elytra distinctly alutaceous, punctation fine, density moderate to sparse. Wings of either sex present, reduced, or absent; humeri more prominent in alate forms. Length 1.7-2.1 mm. Width 0.7-0.9 mm.
     Alabama records: 155 specimens from Baldwin¹, Escambia¹, Etowah², Houston¹, Lee¹, Lowndes¹, Macon¹, Marion¹, Marshall¹, and Mobile² counties.
     Seasonal distribution: March 26-December 4.
     Remarks: More investigations, both biological and taxonomic, including study of types of both this and related species, should be made before L. testaceous is accurately known.
     As an example of current taxonomic difficulties, it is quite possible that Blatchley's L. cotulus, described from Florida, is conspecific with L. testaceous. Errors in describing the wing condition of L. cotulus, were made by Blatchley. In his original description he stated, "wings absent" (28). In a later work, referring to the same species, he said that the wings of the type must have been sticking to the elytra when he lifted them. This observation caused him to place L. cotulus with the alate species group (29). Perhaps Blatchley was confronted with a variable condition of the wings as noted above. Among Alabama specimens of L. testaceous, we have seen, in brachypterus examples, the rudimentary wing lay folded in a lateral dorsal pleat of the abdomen. Such specimens appear wingless when viewed through the semi-transparent elytra. Along with other features, the chracter of the wings tends to further relate L. testaceous and L. cotulus.
     We have collected 9 large series of this beetle from Cirsium sp.

Longitarsus perforatus Horn*

Longitarsus perforatus Horn, 1889, Trans. Amer. Entomol. Soc. 16: 273, 286.
     Elongate oval. Red-yellow-brown, shining. Antennae brown; basal 4 joints lighter brown; segments 2, 3, and 4 subequal. Prothorax 1/3 wider than long; coarsely, sparsely punctate, as wide as elytra at base. Elytra coarsely punctate, punctures tending to be in close striae; umbones not evident. Legs pale yellow. Length 1.8 mm. Width 0.8 mm.
     Alabama records: 1 specimen from Baldwin¹ County.
     Seasonal distribution: July 3.
     Remarks: Horn (63) described L. perforatus from Tampa, Florida.

Longitarsus misellus Blatchley*

Longitarsus misellus Blatchley, 1921, Jour. N. Y. Entomol. Soc. 29: 21.
     Elongate, oval, convex. Shining red-brown, antennae and legs red-yellow. Second, 3rd, and 4th antennal segments subequal in length. Head shining, impunctate. Pronotum minutely and sparsely punctate. Elytra not wider than thorax at base, confusedly punctate, semitransparent. Wings absent. Abdomen smooth, punctures fine and distant. Length 1.6-1.9 mm. Width 0.8-1.1 mm.
     Alabama records: 4 specimens from Clay¹, Madison¹, and Tallapoosa¹ counties.
     Seasonal distribution: May 3-July 27.
     Remarks: Blatchley (29) differentiated L. misellus from L. insolens Horn by size and abdominal sculpture. His new species, he noted, was 1.0-1.2 mm. in length, whereas L. insolens was 2.0-2.2 mm. The abdomen of L. misellus was indistinctly punctate; that of L. insolens coarsely punctate.
     Alabama specimens are intermediate in size and possibly intermediate in abdominal sculpture. Further study of these two species is needed.