HISTERID.E 253 



prosternum nearly as in discus. Length 0.95 mm.; width 0.68 mm. 

 Two examples, received in the Levette collection, unlabeled but almost 

 undoubtedly from Indiana. 



This species differs conspicuously from the preceding in its black 

 coloration, and the elytral sculpture is more even and less strigose 

 suturally than in discus; the prosternal striae are nearly as in the 

 latter and much less divergent basally than in sternalis; the upper 

 surface is much more convex than in discus. From fimetarius it 

 differs in its more broadly oval form, finer and sparser elytral punc- 

 tures, and in having the ground surface of the elytra micro-reticu- 

 late. 



jEletes Horn 



This group of species is regarded as a subgenus of Acritus in 

 the Bickhardt list, but as the scutellum is constantly invisible, 

 the facies somewhat different, the antennal club more developed, 

 with the funicle relatively shorter and the mesosternum somewhat 

 different toward the sides, the concavity of the surface behind 

 each sinus not being visible, it would seem well to avoid complicating 

 nomenclature by considering it as a genus, especially as the large 

 and steeply declivous front is margined by an entire ambient line, 

 which is wanting or indistinct in Acritus. 



The following maybe regarded as a varietal form of politus Lee., 

 which is extremely abundant almost everywhere in the Atlantic 

 regions : 



.ffiletes politus ssp. robustulus nov. Body exactly as in politus in every 

 way, except that the outline is more broadly oval, the size slightly larger 

 and the head just visibly more developed. It however differs also in the 

 longer antennae, the slender shaft, consisting of joints 3-8, being dis- 

 tinctly longer than the club, while in politus it has the joints distinctly 

 shorter and is barely at all longer than the club; the integuments are 

 completely devoid of sculpture in the same way as in politus. Length 

 0.7 mm.; width 0.4 mm. Iowa. Wickham. Two examples. 



The two following species are among the more strongly differenti- 

 ated of the genus : 



insignis n. sp. Body subrhomboid-oval, rather convex, highly 

 polished and smooth, pale testaceous in color throughout; upper surface 

 everywhere with extremely minute remote punctulation; head nearly 

 smooth, relatively small in size; prothorax three-fourths wider than 

 long, the sides strongly converging, distinctly and subevenly arcuate 

 from base to apex; in median third, near the base, there is a deeply 



