600 SERRICOKNIA. 



antenna? only slightly infuscate, and the elytra black and more shining. There is no 

 trace of strife in the shallow longitudinal grooves on the elytra ; the sutural stria, 

 however, is sharply defined. This species is allied to E. terminalis, Lee, and E. stri- 

 ffosus, Lee. (nee Reitter), but may be separated from them by the sculpture or colour 

 of the elytra ; from E. morio, Lee, the single tibial spur will serve to distinguish it. 



Subfam. HELODIN^J. 



HELODES. 



Elodes, Latreille, Prec. car. gen. Ins. p. 44 (1796) ; Guerin, Spec, et Icon. gen. des Anim. Art. 



livr. hi. no. 9, p. 1 (part.). 

 Helodes, Jacquelin Duval, Gen. Col. Europ. iii. p. 150 ; Tournier, Dascillides du Bassin Leman, 



p. 28; Horn, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc. viii. p. 103. 

 Sacodes, Leconte, Proc. Acad. Phil. vi. p. 356 (1853). 



Of this genus, which has a somewhat similar distribution to Cyphon, a single repre- 

 sentative only has been detected within our limits ; it is closely allied to European and 

 North-American forms. 



1. HelodeS mexicana. (Tab. XXVI. figg. 19, 2 ; 19 a, antenna.) 



$ . Oboval, moderately convex, shining, finely pubescent ; nigro-piceous, the prothorax yellow, with a broad 

 black patch on the disc, extending from the base to near the apex and abruptly narrowed in front, the 

 antennae black, the legs piceous, with the femora paler. Head invisible from above, thickly punctured ; 

 antennae filiform, stout, very elongate, about two-thirds the length of the body, joint 3 minute, 4 very 

 elongate, longer than 5, 5-11 subequal in length. Prothorax transverse, truncate in front, semicircular 

 as viewed from above, the apical margin feebly and the lateral margins strongly reflexed ; the surface 

 thickly, very finely punctate, the punctuation becoming sparser at the sides, the flavous lateral portions 

 semitransparent. Elytra three and one-half times the length of the prothorax, widening from the base 

 to about the middle ; closely, moderately finely, rugulosely punctate, the punctuation much coarser than 

 that of the prothorax, and with indication of shallow longitudinal grooves on the disc. 



Length 4|, breadth 2| millim. 



Hab. Mexico, Chilpancingo in Guerrero 4600 feet (H. H. Smith). 



One example. This insect resembles the European H. marginata (Fabr.), but it has 

 much longer and stouter antennae, a less transverse thorax, darker legs, &c. Amongst 

 the North-American species, it is perhaps nearest allied to H. maculicollis, Horn. 



PRIONOCYPHON. 



Prionocyphon, Redtenbacher, Fauna Austriaca, ed. 2, p. 517 (1858) ; Jacquelin Duval, Gen. Col. 



Europ. iii. p. 151 ; Tournier, Dascillides du Bassin Leman, p. 45 ; Horn, Trans. Am. Ent. 



Soc. viii. p. 99. 



Seven species of this genus are known — one from Europe, two from North America, 



and four from Japan. Two others are now added from Central America, both 



interesting new forms. They are usually very scarce insects ; P. pilicornis, however, 



has been found in numbers, on the decaying branches of fallen trees in forest-clearings. 



