PLACUSA. 269 
PLACUSA. 
Placusa, Erichson, Kaf. Mark Brand. i. p. 370. 
This genus comprises about twenty species, most of which are European ; but one 
or two are known from Ceylon and Australia, and it is probable the genus has a wide 
distribution, although no species has yet been recorded from North America. The 
individuals are small obscure creatures, living under the bark of logs and dead trees. 
1. Placusa confinis. 
Placusa confinis, Sharp, Tr. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1876, p. 44°. 
Hab. Panama, Bugaba (Champion).—Sovtn America, valley of the Amazon 1. 
The few individuals found by Mr. Champion are apparently all females, so that their 
identification is not quite certain. 
2. Placusa minuta. 
Depressa, nigro-fusca, pedibus testaceis, crebre, subtiliter, equaliter punctulata; antennis brevibus, haud 
crassis ; capite quam thorax parum angustiore, hoc transverso, lateribus vix curvatis, antrorsum haud 
angustato ; abdomine parallelo. 
Long. 14 millim. 
Hab. Panama, Bugaba (Champion). 
Antenne blackish, with the basal joint fuscous-yellow ; third joint small, shorter than 
the second; fourth minute but transverse; fifth and following joints rather strongly 
transverse ; terminal joint rather small, scarcely so long as the two preceding together. 
Head rather closely punctate. Thorax a little narrower than the elytra, transverse but 
not strongly so, the sides very little rounded and but little narrowed in front, closely 
and finely punctate. Elytra distinctly longer than the thorax, similarly punctate, as is 
also the hind body. legs yellow. 
In the male the hind margin of the seventh dorsal plate is armed with three rather 
long widely separated equidistant teeth, one in the middle and one near each side 
margin; at the base of the middle tooth there are two very small tubercular elevations. 
This very minute insect is extremely similar to P. confinis ; but the male characters 
are very different, and besides this the head isa little longer, and the thorax broader 
in front, the head, thorax, and elytra are more closely punctate, and the elytra not at all 
flavescent. Only three specimens of P. minuta have been found: the basal segments 
of the hind body are more or less reddish, probably according to the immaturity of the 
example. 
3. Placusa crassidens. 
Sat depressa, nigra, elytris vix dilutioribus, pedibus testaceis, femoribus fuscis ; antennis brevioribus, crassius- 
culis; prothorace haud fortiter transverso, antrorsum haud angustato, parce punctato, sat nitido. 
Long. 2-23 millim. . 
