CHALCOBARIS.—BARIS. 457 
at about the basal third, Prothorax obliquely narrowed from the base, feebly constricted in front ; 
densely, coarsely umbilicate-punctate. Elytra rather short, narrowly punctate-striate, the interstices 
broad, flat, transversely rugose, closely uniseriate-punctate. Beneath densely, the abdomen more 
shallowly, umbilicate-punctate. 
Length 23-24, breadth 1}-12 millim. (2 .) 
Hab. Panama, Bugaba (Champion), Tabernilla, Canal zone (Buseck, in U.S. Nat. Mus.). 
Two females. It is possible that the male may have a still longer antennal club. 
The close umbilicate puncturing of the under surface is a striking character in this 
insect. 
BARIS. 
Baris, Germar, Ins. Spec. Nov. p. 197 (1824) (part.); Casey, Ann. N, York Acad. Sci. vi. pp. 465, 
469. 
Baridius, Schénherr, Gen. Cure. iii. p. 643 (1836) (part.). 
I follow Casey in restricting the genus Baris, Germ. (type, timida, Rossi) 
(= Baridius, Schénh., type viridanus, Boh.), for the numerous American species 
with the base of the antennal club more or less shining and sparsely pilose, the 
rostrum short and stout, the prosternum unimpressed or indefinitely sulcate (except in 
B. quadratipennis and B. prodita), and the pygidium exposed, either ventrally or 
dorsally. This definition, however, as stated by Casey, will not strictly apply to many 
of the Palearctic species at present referred to it. As thus limited, Baris includes 
about fifty perfectly homogeneous forms from N. America, and many others from Central 
and S. America, though it is not so well represented in our region as Pseudobaris, Lec. 
B. quadratipennis and B. prodita have the base of the antennal club shining and the 
prosternum more or less sulcate (thus combining the characters of Baris and Pseudo- 
baris), the prothorax tubulate, &c., and they will probably have to be removed 
eventually. The Nicaraguan 2. fervida and its allies are large, metallic, coarsely 
punctured, peculiar forms restricted to Tropical America. 8. strenua, B. striata, 
B. sulcipennis, B. sinuatirostris, &c., are characteristic N.-American or Mexican Barids, 
some of which extend down the central plateau to Guatemala. B. erea and the small 
metallic Tropical-American insects related to it are so variable and so imperfectly 
segregated, that I am unable to come to any definite conclusion concerning them, 
though hundreds of specimens (including long series from many localities) have been 
studied for the purpose. The males of the Central-American forms have the posterior 
portion of the metasternum and the first ventral segment more or less excavate or 
flattened in the middle, and the apical margin of the fifth segment sometimes 
thickened or sublamellate in the centre, and the prominence limited on each side by a 
semicircular or shallow excision. The pygidium, too, in that sex is often separated 
from the last dorsal segment by a sharply defined transverse suture or ridge (B. duran- 
goana, B. zapotensis, B. erea, &c.); but this suture is sometimes wanting in certain 
BIOL. CENTR.-AMER., Coleopt., Vol. IV. Pt. 5, February 1909. SNN 
