268 SEEKICORNIA. 



stones upon the sandy banks of streams. Like Lacon, they usually have the surface of 

 the body completely encrusted with an adherent earthy coating, in addition to the 

 coarse scales with which they are clothed : and till this coating is removed the sculpture 

 is disguised or invisible. Most of the published descriptions of the various species have 

 been made from dirty specimens, and they are therefore very imperfect. The scaly 

 clothing extends to the upper surface of the basal joint of the antennae, and sometimes 

 to the outer edge of the tibia? also. Our three species may be separated as follows : — 



Prothorax with granular elevations, the interspaces finely shagreened ; scutellum 



very sharply carinate cristatus. 



Prothorax simply punctured, without granular elevations; scutellum finely 

 carinate. 



Elytra moderately long ; scales small (about 25 in sutural row) scobinula. 



Elytra short and more ovate ; scales longer and stouter (about 18 in sutural row) ; 



punctures coarser ; interstices narrower, smoother, and more shining . . . squamiger . 



1. Meristhus cristatus. 



Meristhus cristatus, Horn, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. iii. p. 299, t. 4. fig. 2 (1871) \ 



Sab. North America, Cape San Lucas, Lower California \ Texas [coll. Janson, ex 

 Horn). — Mexico, Presidio in Durango (Forrer). 



Dr. Horn's description of M. cristatus must have been made from dirty specimens, as 

 he has omitted to mention an important character, viz. the presence of smooth granular 

 elevations upon the thorax, which are distinctly visible between the scales. The elytra 

 have rows of coarse punctures, upon the inner edge of each of which is a smooth, promi- 

 nent, granular elevation ; the interstices are broader than the punctures, and each bears 

 a series of short, stout, oblong whitish scales. The scutellum is very sharply carinate. 

 The Mexican specimen is piceous in colour, the thorax with the anterior margin and 

 hind angles, and the elytra with the sides and suture anteriorly, and a round spot on 

 the disc near the apex, indeterminately rufo-testaceous ; the whitish scales form a 

 distinct patch on either side of the base of the thorax and also on the elytra at the 

 base. Two specimens of M. cristatus, from Texas, are contained in the Janson 

 collection. 



2. Meristhus scobinula. (Tab. XL fig. 12.) 



Meristhus scobinula, Cand. Monogr. Elat. i. p. 164, t. 2. fig. 26 * ; Rdvis. Elat. p. 104 2 . 



Meristhus setarius, Chevr. Ann. Soc. Ent. Er. 1867, p. 596 3 . 



Meristhus tewanus, Horn, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. iii. p. 300, t. 4. fig. 1 (1871) 4 . 



Eab. North America, Texas 4 . — Mexico 1 2 , Teapa in Tabasco (coll. Janson) ; Guate- 

 mala, El Puente (Salle), Chacoj in Vera Paz, Guatemala city, Rio INaranjo (Champion). 

 — Colombia; Cuba 3 . — China 12 (Mus. Brit. & coll. Janson, ex Bakewell), Hong Kong 

 (J. J. Walker). 



I have carefully compared thoroughly cleaned specimens from Texas and Centra] 



