HlSTERID.E 219 



should be less and not more rounded. The ground sculpture of 

 the pygidia is similar in ccenosus, but the prothorax is shorter, the 

 front is not impressed and there is no trace of the peculiar bifur- 

 cation of the humeral stria, which is bilaterally constant in the 

 type of. opacicauda. 

 The following species may be placed near punctifer Payk. : 



*Hister lateralis n. sp. Rather narrowly oblong-oval, moderately 

 convex, deep black and with a varnish-like lustre; head not clearly 

 punctate, unimpressed, the frontal part of the stria fine, transversely 

 rectilinear and entire; prothorax three-fourths wider than long, the 

 moderately converging sides subevenly arcuate; surface smooth, without 

 basal line of punctures, the inner stria parallel and very close to the edge, 

 coarse, not quite attaining the base, the outer fine, short and anterior, 

 the surface between the inner and the sides unusually convex; elytra 

 not much abbreviated, one-half longer than the prothorax, with evenly 

 arcuate sides, having three entire smooth discal striae, the fourth a short 

 isolated line behind the middle, the fifth wholly obsolete, the sutural 

 represented by only a feeble trace very near the apex; humeral stria 

 obsolete, the subhumeral a short line just before the middle, the oblique 

 humeral long and fine; inflexed sides concave, sharply limited above and 

 with two entire striae; mesosternal sinus gradual, distinct, the margin 

 entire; prosternum strongly convex; anterior tibiee with four large sharp 

 external serrules, the apical bifid. Length 5.6 mm.; width 3.8 mm. 

 Mexico (Durango City, Durango), Wickham. 



There is no species known to me at all closely allied to this; the 

 very narrow convex surface between the inner lateral thoracic 

 stria and the edge is a conspicuous feature. 



Group Depurator. 



As organized by Horn this large group is composite. Semisculptus 

 and dispar, having only a single pronotal stria at each side, constitute 

 one section; the former is extremely rare in individuals and I do not 

 have it in my collection. My two examples of dispar are from 

 Louisiana; the pygidia are coarsely, rather closely punctate but 

 shining. Then depurator, incertus, curtains, furtivus and allied 

 species, having two thoracic striae, variable though always evident 

 mesosternal sinus and a truncate prosternal lobe in the males of at 

 least most of the species, but with the prosternum unmodified, 

 constitute another section. Finally, forms allied to servus, usually 

 having two thoracic striae, the surface of the prosternum bistriate, 

 between and anterior to the coxae, and the feeblest possible sinus of 



