250 MEMOIRS ON THE COLEOPTERA 



The following is allied to exiguus but with deep black coloration : 



Acritus ellipticus n. sp. Outline oblong-elliptical, moderately convex, 

 shining, black throughout, the legs rufescent; head minutely, sparsely 

 punctate, convex; antennae black, the club pale, the basal joint fully 

 half as long as the funicle, second cylindric, slightly longer than wide, 

 third slightly less thick, quadrate, four to eight still narrower, subequal 

 and moniliform; prothorax about three-fifths wider than long, the sides 

 moderately converging and arcuate, more so at apex; surface finely, 

 sparsely punctate, smooth and without transverse subbasal series; 

 scutellum minute, equilateral; elytra slightly shorter than wide, much 

 narrowed posteriorly, somewhat inflated near basal third or fourth; 

 surface even, with deep and rather close-set punctures, the fine entire 

 line on the convex flanks distinct; pygidium minutely, not closely 

 punctate; polished surface between the parallel and internally arcuate 

 prosternal striae much elongated; sterna laterally with small but very 

 strong, well separated punctures. Length 0.7-0.8 mm.; width 0.4-0.5 

 mm. North Carolina (Southern Pines), Manee. 



The series of three examples at hand represents a species allied 

 to exiguus, but somewhat more convex and a little broader and 

 more oval, the parallel oblong outline of exiguus, rather depressed 

 upper surface and less conspicuous sculpture distinguishing the latter 

 species at once; it is abundant and widely diffused, my series being 

 from Long Island to Louisiana, Iowa and Colorado. 



Acritus sparsellus n. sp. Form narrowly subrhomboid-oval, rather 

 convex, polished, obscure testaceous in color; head extremely minutely, 

 remotely punctured basally, more strongly and closely anteriorly; an- 

 tennae having the third joint relatively smaller than in the preceding, 

 three to eight being subequal and moniliform; prothorax differently 

 formed, three-fifths wider than long, the sides but very feebly converging 

 and slightly arcuate from the base, thence gradually very arcuate and 

 more converging from about the middle; surface very convex, smooth, 

 minutely and very inconspicuously punctate and without transverse 

 subbasal series; scutellum minute, equilateral; elytra in general characters 

 nearly as in the preceding, but more convex and with the punctures unusu- 

 ally minute and sparse, the sides evidently though obtusely swollen behind 

 the base, the line on the flanks distinct; space between the prosternal lines 

 much longer than wide, the lines more diverging anteriorly than basally; 

 sides of the metasternum with rather strong and close-set punctures; 

 anterior tibiae with a dense external fringe of very short hairs. Length 

 0.7 mm.; width 0.4 mm. North Carolina (Asheville). Two specimens. 



While forming part of the exiguus section of the genus, this species 

 can be separated at once by its still narrower outline, smaller size, 

 more convex and more finely and sparsely punctate upper surface 

 and other characters as mentioned above. 



