HISTERID.E 249 



scutellum distinct, triangular; elytra oval, much narrowed posteriorly, 

 with evenly and strongly arcuate sides, not quite as long as wide, the 

 punctures rather large but well separated, excessively shallow and feebly 

 umbilicate; flanks vertical, defined above by an obtuse cariniform line 

 and having, along the middle, a very fine and feeble carina; disk even 

 and not definitely striate; pygidium with the small and shallow punctures 

 bearing each an infinitesimal yellowish hair; prosternum with a deflexed 

 apical lobe, transversely truncate at base and unmargined at either apex 

 or base; lateral striae straight, parallel, very widely separated, the inter- 

 vening surface much wider than long, the anterior lateral lines detached 

 from the parallel ones; mesosternum truncate, unmargined, the trans- 

 verse discal line distinct, entire and subcrenulate; legs short, the anterior 

 tibiae arcuate, slightly inflated, very narrow basally, widest behind the 

 middle, the outer and inner edges without dentition but fringed with 

 extremely minute oblique hairs. Length 1.3 mm.; width 0.9 mm. 

 Mexico (Saltillo, Coahuila), Wickham. 



This distinct species differs from marginatus in its very feeble 

 sculpture and smaller size, and from compactus in its less oblong 

 form, smaller prothorax, finer and feebler punctures, feebly puberu- 

 lent pygidium and much more transverse area between the pro- 

 sternal striae. 



Acritus Lee. 



Under this genus there are several corrections to be made in the 

 results announced by Dr. Horn in his treatise on the Histeridae. 

 For example, a good series of four specimens of cribripennis Mars., 

 shows that this species is not even closely allied to exiguus Er.; it 

 is much more broadly oval and more strongly sculptured, and the 

 oblique stria at the base of each elytron, figured by Marseul, is 

 evident in all; obliquus Lee., and cribripennis are probably the 

 same species, however, and I have one example from Douglas, 

 Kansas, which appears to be specifically identical. Aciculatus Lee., 

 carefully figured by Marseul, is unequivocally distinct from exiguus 

 in form, size and sculpture, if accurately identified by the latter 

 author. Finally, conformis Lee., is a species abundantly distinct 

 from strigosus; it is a more northern species in range than strigosus, 

 more sparsely punctulate and notably more narrowly oval in outline, 

 while the strongly sculptured and more broadly oval strigosus 

 is confined to more southern latitudes, although they were both de- 

 scribed originally as from Georgia; I took strigosus abundantly in 

 various parts of Texas. 



