DEASTEEIUS. 375 



Group ELATERINI. 



DRASTERIUS. 



Drasterius, Eschscholtz, in Thon's Archiv, ii. 1, p. 33 (1829) ; Candeze, Monogr. Elat. ii. p. 421. 



Of the thirty described species of this genus, thirteen are American. The Central- 

 American representatives call for no special comment ; the first two (with D. dorsalis, 

 Say) would be almost equally well placed in JEolus. 



Elytra maculate. 



Body moderately elongate ; length 5-7 millim livens. 



Body rather short ; length 4^-5 millim meridionalis. 



Elytra not maculate. 



Legs infuscate ; hind angles of the prothorax divergent simiolus. 



Legs flavo-testaceous. 



Hind angles of the prothorax stout, not divergent flavipes. 



Hind angles of the prothorax slender, divergent dugesi. 



1. Drasterius livens. 



Monocrepidius livens, Lee. Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. x. p. 484 '. 

 Drasterius livens, Lee. Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. xii. p. 4 2 . 



Hab. Noeth America, Vallecitas and Colorado River 1 , California 2 . — Mexico, Santa 

 Clara in Chihuahua, Chihuahua city, Villa Lerdo in Durango (Hbge), Saltillo in 

 Coalmila (I)r. Palmer), Guanajuato (Duges, in coll. Candeze). 



Eight specimens, varying greatly in colour. Some of these closely approach 

 I), dorsalis, Say, the punctuation of the thorax being somewhat variable. 



2. Drasterius meridionalis. (Tab. XVI. figg. 26, 26 a.) 



Short and rather broad, slightly shining, finely pubescent ; the head black or piceous, testaceous in front ; 

 the prothorax black or piceous, with the anterior angles and a large subtriangular patch on either 

 side behind — sometimes extending forwards to the apex — testaceous ; the scutellum infuscate ; the 

 elytra black or piceous, with the base on either side of the scutellum, an elongate mark below the 

 shoulder, an elongate streak on either side of the suture at the middle, a spot on the disc a little lower 

 down, and a spot at the apex, testaceous ; the antennae testaceous, the legs flavous, the under surface 

 rufo-testaceous. Head convex, thickly punctured, the frontal carina rounded and not prominent ; 

 antennas rather short, joints 2 and 3 equal in length, the two together longer than 4. Prothorax 

 scarcely as long as broad, narrowed in front, the sides rounded anteriorly and very feebly sinuate behind ; 

 the hind angles broadly, triangularly produced, acute, not divergent, sharply carinate at the sides above, 

 the carina short and joining the marginal one at the tip ; the surface thickly, rather coarsely punctate, 

 the punctures equal in size. Scutellum convex. Elytra twice the length of the prothorax, narrowing 

 from the middle, rounded at the apex; very deeply and rather coarsely punctate-striate; the interstices 

 convex, flatter towards the suture, roughly punctured. Beneath coarsely, closely punctate. 



Length 4|-5, breadth 1^-lf millim. 



Hab. Mexico, San Juan Bautista in Tabasco (Hoge) ; Panama, Bugaba, Volcan de 

 Chiriqui, Caldera (Champion), Matachin (Br. 0. Thieme). 



