LACON.— MEEISTHU8. 267 



d . Fifth ventral segment, except at the base and sides, very sparsely impressed with moderately coarse 



punctures, the interspaces exceedingly minutely and densely punctate. 

 Length 9-13, breadth 3-4 millim. ( rf ? .) 



Hab. Mexico, Vera Cruz (coll. Janson, ex Laferte); Guatemala (coll. Janson); 

 Costa Rica {coll. Janson, Van Patten), Cache (Rogers) ; Panama, Bugaba, Volcan de 

 Chiriqui (Champion). 



This species may be distinguished from all the allied forms, the following excepted, 

 by its much longer acuminate scales, some of which are semierect on the elytra. The 

 elytra are confusedly punctured, the striae only visible towards the sides and apex. 

 The fifth ventral segment is almost smooth in the male, the minute interstitial punc- 

 tuation being only visible under a strong lens. Examples of this insect have been 

 collected in abundance in Costa Rica and Chiriqui. Specimens of this and the 

 following species have been returned to me by Dr. Candeze as unknown to him. 



10. Lacon paleatus. (Tab. XI. fig. 9.) 



Elongate, rather broad, pitchy-brown, thickly clothed with very long fulvo-cinereous piliform acuminate scales, 

 some of which are semierect on the elytra ; the oral organs, antennae, and legs obscure rufo-testaceous. 

 Head coarsely, closely punctate, broadly depressed in the middle in front. Prothorax broader than long, 

 convex, abruptly transversely gibbous about the middle, deeply caualiculate posteriorly and also longi- 

 tudinally depressed on either side midway between this and the margin ; the sides obliquely converging 

 in front, rounded about the middle, and moderately sinuate behind ; the anterior angles prominent ; the 

 hind angles obliquely truncate ; the surface closely, coarsely punctate. Scutellum coarsely punctured. 

 Elytra closely, coarsely, confusedly punctured, the punctures becoming exceedingly coarse and crowded 

 towards the sides, the striae distinct at the apex only. Beneath closely, very coarsely punctate; 

 propleurse without distinct grooves for the reception of the anterior tarsi ; the fifth ventral segment with 

 a transverse fold at the apex. 



S . Eifth ventral segment with a broad oval space extending to the apex very sparsely impressed with 

 moderately coarse punctures, the interspaces exceedingly minutely and densely punctate. 



Length 11|-13|, breadth 3f-4± millim. ( 6 2 •) 



Hab. Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui 2000 to 3000 feet (Champion). 



Six examples. This insect closely resembles L. aristatus; but differs from it in the 

 longer piliform scales of the upper surface and the more coarsely punctured elytra, the 

 punctures becoming exceedingly coarse and crowded at the sides and confused with 

 those of the striae ; the smooth space on the fifth ventral segment in the male is also 

 less extended, not occupying nearly the whole of the surface as in L. aristatus. 



MERISTHUS. 



Meristhus, Candeze, Monogr. Elat. i. p. 162 (1857); Revis. Elat. p. 102. 



A genus of very wide distribution, containing ten described species, three of which 

 inhabit the New World, these ranging from Texas to the Amazons; one of them 

 possesses an extraordinary geographical distribution. Their habits, so far as I have 

 been able to observe, are like those of Cryptohypnus ; that is to say, they live under 



2M2 



