PSELAPHACUS. 35 



Subfam. TBIPLACIDES. 



PSELAPHACUS. 



Pselaphacus, Percheron, Gen. Ins. fasc. 4, no. 6 (1835) ; Lacordaire, Monogr. Erotyl. p. 73 (1842) ; 

 Crotch, Cist. Ent. i. p. 141 (1873). 



A genus widely distributed in tropical South America, and fairly represented in 

 Mexico and Central America, but not passing into the United States so far as is at 

 present known. 



1. Pselaphacus conspersus. (Tab. II. fig. 10.) 



P. nigropunctato proxime affinis, niger, nitidus ; prothorace brevi, supra castaneo-rufo, margine antico, basi, 

 limbo laterali, vitta mediana (postice abbreviata), maculis sex majoribus punetisque nonnullis, nigris ; 

 elytris castaneo-rufis, basi, fascia irregulari (marginem haud attingente), epipleuris, macula versus apicem 

 punetisque numerosis, nigris. Long. 18-20 millim. 



Hab. Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Trotsch). 



Very closely allied to P. nigropunctatus. The black markings of the thorax are 

 very similar to those of P. ducalis; the elytral markings are, however, different, 

 the black punctures in P. conspersus being wholly irregular (in P. ducalis they are 

 arranged in four series) and more numerous, and often confluent, and the fascia being 

 more developed, with a posterior additional spot. Probably several of the species of 

 this group will be ultimately treated as varieties of P. nigropunctatus. At present the 

 Chiriqui insect could not be united with any of them, without the admission that these 

 were themselves but varieties of one or more species. 



2. Pselaphacus pcecilosomus. (Tab. II. fig. 4.) 



Pselaphacus pcecilosomus, Lac. Monogr. Erotyl. p. 77 1 ; Crotch, Cist. Ent. i. p. 419 2 . 

 Pselaphacus hopei, Guerin, Icon. Regne Anim., Ins. p. 309 3 . 



Hab. Panama, Volcan de Chiriqui (Champion). — Colombia 1 2 3 , Bogota; Ecuador 2 . 

 The specimen figured is from the Volcan de Chiriqui. 



3. Pselaphacus curvipes. (Tab. II. figg. 5, 6.) 



Pselaphacus curvipes, Guerin, Rev. Zool. 1841, p. 157 1 ; Lac. Monogr. Erotyl. p. 81*. 

 Pselaphacus gracilipes, Lac. Monogr. Erotyl. p. 82 3 . 

 Pselaphacus distortus, Crotch, Cist. Ent. i. p. 142, var. 4 



Hab. Mexico 4 , Toxpam (Salle)-, Nicaragua 4 , Chontales (Belt, Janson); Panama, 

 Bugaba, Volcan de Chiriqui, La Caldera (Champion). — South America, Bolivia 12 , 

 Amazons 3 . 



I am unable to recognize as distinct the species described by Crotch under the 

 name P. distortus. Some specimens from Mexico and Nicaragua are intermediate in 



P*2 



