240 MEMOIRS ON THE COLEOPTERA 



wider than the prothorax; surface and striation similar, but with the 

 uniform ground punctulation very evident in obesulus excessively 

 fine, sparser and almost obsolete; pygidium nearly similar, but with 

 the fovea at each anterior angle feebler; under surface nearly similar 

 throughout. Length 2.1-2.25 mm.; width 1.45-1.5 mm. Louisiana 

 (Monroe). Two examples. 



The coarse groove just within the finely beaded lateral thoracic 

 margin, not attaining the apex and generally slightly abbreviated 

 at base, the entire humeral stria and basally united fifth and 

 sutural striae, widely anteriorly diverging prosternal striae and stout 

 and very convex form of the body, constitute of this species and 

 obesulus a peculiar and rather isolated group of Epierus, for which 

 the name Pseudepierus (n. subgen.) may be suggested. 



Epierus ovalis n. sp.- -Very evenly elliptic, strongly convex, widest 

 at the middle, polished, piceous-black, a little paler beneath, the legs 

 bright rufous; head finely and closely punctate, convexly and rapidly 

 declivous before the antennae, the upper surface broadly flattened but 

 scarcely concave; prothorax relatively small, twice as wide as long, the 

 sides very rapidly converging from the base, broadly, feebly and sub- 

 evenly arcuate throughout, the apical angles acute; sides with only the 

 usual very fine marginal line; surface finely, evenly and rather closely 

 punctate, with coarser and sparser punctures in a medial area at base; 

 elytra not quite as long as wide, almost twice as long as the prothorax, 

 the sides evenly and strongly arcuate; surface with the suffused punctula- 

 tion sparse and very feeble but uniform; striae rather fine, almost smooth, 

 the first four evenly arcuate and entire, the fifth and sutural each ab- 

 ruptly ending near basal third or fourth; flanks outside the first evenly 

 convex, not striate, except a feeble trace of the oblique humeral; meso- 

 sternal side-pieces notably strongly and closely punctate, the metasternum 

 sparsely and rather finely; prosternal striae fine, straight, flaring slightly 

 at base, ending abruptly at two-thirds from the base; comb of the 

 anterior tibiae very short, loose. Length 2.15 mm.; width 1.25 mm. 

 Mississippi (Vicksburg). 



A distinct species, generically less aberrant than obesulus because 

 of the entire absence of the coarse lateral thoracic stria within the 

 fine marginal, but differing greatly from the pulicarius type in its 

 broadly oval outline and basally abbreviated fifth and sutural 

 striae of the elytra. It is represented by a single example, taken 

 by the writer, and belongs to the same section as subtropicus Csy., 

 though the latter has notably longer prosternal striae and very 

 much longer oblique metasternal striae, these ending at the middle 

 of the length in ovalis. 



*Epierus obsolescens n. sp. Evenly oval, notably convex, deep black, 

 piceous beneath, the legs rufous; upper surface very smooth and polished; 



