CUCUJID^E 131 



thin as the succeeding joints, third somewhat shorter than two or 

 four; prothorax distinctly wider than long, widest near anterior third, 

 where the sides are broadly and feebly arcuate, thence converging 

 perceptibly to the acute and plectrate basal angles, the apical 

 prominent and dentiform; surface perceptibly convex, finely but 

 rather strongly, loosely punctate, more finely and sparsely at the 

 sides beyond the distinct grooves; scutellum having a few minute 

 punctures, much less than twice as wide as long, obtusely ogival; 

 elytra parallel, slightly wider than the prothorax and more than 

 twice as long, two-thirds longer than wide, abruptly truncate at 

 apex, the sides very feebly arcuate; punctures small but sharply 

 defined, somewhat elongate, in regular series, the two striae of the 

 vertical flanks distinct, the upper not attaining the base; last ventral 

 more punctate and one-half longer than the fourth. Female more 

 elongate and parallel than the male, the eyes similarly small and 

 abruptly hemispherical; antennae nearly as long as in the male but 

 rather less slender and with relatively less stout basal joint, the three 

 outer joints very feebly enlarged; prothorax nearly as in the male but 

 notably wider than the head; elytra more elongate, fully three-fourths 

 longer than wide, not distinctly wider than the prothorax; fifth ventral 

 almost as in the male. Length (o 71 9 ) 1.45-1.6 mm.; width 0.45-0.55 

 mm. Texas (Houston) liquidus n. sp. 



Apertus, which was erroneously identified in my former work on 

 the Cucujidae, is one of a small group to which testaceus also be- 

 longs, though the latter is very different from any of our species; 

 in this group the species become closely allied among themselves. 

 Gundlachi Grouv., of which the author kindly presented me with 

 two examples from Brazil and therefore possibly not exactly typical, 

 seems undoubtedly to be closely allied to nitens, but with the punc- 

 tures of the elytral series smaller, deeper and more distinct, though 

 somewhat impressed and less sharply defined than in liquidus, 

 where also the eyes are smaller and more globularly convex in both 

 sexes; in modestus, also of the nitens group, the elytral punctures 

 become very much coarser. 



The sterna behind the anterior coxae truly close the cavities to 

 external view in this genus, but on closer examination it will be 

 found that the formation is really the same as in Lcemophlceus, 

 that is, the broad median lobe of the prosternum is simply more 

 dilated at the sides, so that it extends over the apices of the inwardly 

 projecting lateral parts, apparently merely concealing the inner 

 limits of the latter from view; there may still be a horizontal sepa- 

 ration, though this necessarily would be very slight. 



The species described by Dr. Sharp under the name Silvano- 



