272 MEMOIRS ON THE COLEOPTERA 



they are there widely separated in sphceroides. I have taken the 

 latter species at Fort Monroe, Virginia, and it also occurs in Penn- 

 sylvania and Canada. 



We arrive here at a distinct section of this subgenus Hypocaccus 

 Groups VIII and IX (pars) of Horn represented by densely 

 punctate species, having a more or less sharply denned scutellar 

 mirror, remindful of some species of Group VII, and represented 

 by fraternus, bigemmeus, fitchi and other similar forms. Fitchi 

 Mars. Germanized into "fitschi" by Bickhardt is remarkable 

 even in this isolated section, in having no trace whatever of a 

 sutural stria. The following is another species, allied closely to 

 fitchi in general characters and also without trace of sutural stria, 

 but differing radically in its prosternal characters: 



Saprinus omissus n. sp. Not very broadly oblong-oval, black, the 

 pygidium piceous, the legs red; upper surface feebly aeneous and very 

 smooth in the impunctate mirrors of the pronotum and elytra, but 

 densely micro-reticulate and dull on the punctural interspaces elsewhere; 

 head nearly smooth, the transversely arcuate discal line irregular; pro- 

 thorax nearly twice as wide as long, the moderately converging sides 

 feebly arcuate, gradually becoming strongly and broadly rounded in- 

 ward at apex; surface with fine and simple close-set punctures medially 

 in apical two-fifths, gradually becoming a little stronger and more con- 

 spicuous elongate slender punctures laterally, the basal punctures close 

 and confused; discal mirror distinctly defined, transversely triangular; 

 elytra one-half longer than the prothorax, the sides almost evenly 

 rounded; striae distinct, one and two extending three-fifths, three and 

 four to about the middle; punctures rather fine but strong and close-set, 

 the abruptly defined scutellar mirror transversely oval, not extending to 

 the middle and not limited wholly by the fourth stria, which arches at 

 base, the sutural completely wanting; outer humeral not evident, the 

 inner at the middle and a third as long as the elytra; pygidium convex, 

 with rather small but deep, close-set punctures, feebler apically; pro- 

 sternum compressed and rather prominently ridged along the middle, 

 without medial striae, the lateral ascending striae meeting anteriorly at 

 the apical margin in an obtuse parabola; anterior tibiae with five or six 

 moderate external teeth, rather gradually and evenly increasing in size 

 to about the middle, the last two larger. Length 2.25 mm.; width 

 1.65 mm. Dakota. 



To one casually examining the type of this species, it would 

 inevitably be assigned to fitchi, because of its general appearance 

 and the complete absence of sutural stria, but an inspection of the 

 prosternum, which has two long and approximate medial striae in 

 fitchi, exactly as in all the preceding species of the group here 



