56 MALACODERMATA. 
Subfam. PHOTURIDES. 
Placed by Lacordaire as a subordinate group of the Luciolides. The true Lampyrides 
with apterous or subapterous females and the true Luciolides are both absent from the 
New World; and, independently of this, the importance of the wide prominent head 
with the labrum very much reduced warrants our adopting this as a subfamily. 
PHOTURIS. 
Photuris, Leconte, Proc. Ac. Phil. v. p. 337 (1851); Lacord. Genera des Col. iv. p. 388. 
Photuris, as it is adopted here and by Lacordaire, includes all those species which 
have the head when extended partly uncovered, thin filiform antennz, and the claws 
either simple or divided. In addition to these characters, the males have the seventh 
segment produced into a narrow lamellar lobe in the middle, a character which is 
useful in determining the place of some species which much resemble Photini. The 
structure of the claws affords a means of dividing the genus into sections which appear 
sufficiently natural. 
The Photurides are peculiar to North and South America, but have an extended 
range, being distributed from Canada to the south of Brazil; and one species is even 
attributed to Patagonia. 
Section I. Claws simple. 
1. Photuris fasciata. 
Nigro-picea, nitida; pectore, pedibus basi et capite vertice excepto rufis; prothorace flavo, nigro vittato ; 
elytris nigris, macula humerali fasciaque lata pone medium flavis. Long. 12 millim. 
Mas latet. 
Femina segmento quinto ventrali macula parva rotunda, et sexto basi albis. 
Hab. GUATEMALA, Sinanja valley (Champion). 
Head yellow, with the crown and some marks between the eyes pitchy; antenne 
fine, fuscous, the underside of the basal joints alone reddish ; palpi fuscous, paler at 
their bases. Thorax nearly semicircular, hind angles acute, not so much produced as 
in P. telephorina, Perty, which this species very much resembles; the disk with a short 
but deep furrow near the base. Elytra with the humeral callus and three nervures 
distinct, narrower than in P. telephorina; the yellow fascia is placed further back. The 
suture is narrowly yellow near the base, so that a black spot is almost detached between 
it and the humeral mark. 
This species is of the same size and coloured so exactly like a Telephorid from other 
parts of Vera Paz as to be at first sight undistinguishable. 
