PTEROSTICHIN.E 3 2 5 



25 Body oblong-subparallel, small to moderate in size, the integuments 

 polished and with iridescent lustre; head moderate; posterior tho- 

 racic angles generally rounded, sometimes sharply denned, the foveae 

 single; elytral striae deep, moderately punctured, the scutellar wholly 

 wanting, each elytron invariably with a single dorsal puncture at 

 about the middle of the length. Southern Atlantic and Gulf re- 

 gions. [Type Per. recta Say] Loxandrus Lee. 



These groups, with but few exceptions, are so homogeneous within 

 themselves as to indicate natural and sharply delimited aggregates 

 of species, which is the usual test of genera or subgenera, but it 

 would be difficult to select those for full generic acceptance and those 

 which should more properly be considered subgeneric in value, which 

 is perhaps the reason why they are nearly all lumped under Ptero- 

 stichus in the European catalogue. Pterostichus tarsalis was placed 

 near morionides by LeConte as a Hammatomerus, but this is a de- 

 cided error; it is a Hypherpes near serripes. 



The Pterostichus wrangelli Csy. (Mem. Col., IV, 1913, p. 131), is 

 nothing more than a synonym of castaneus Dej., and the single 

 dorsal puncture on each elytron must be regarded as a remarkable 

 accidental character in the single type of wrangelli. Castaneus will 

 however constitute a rather distinct subgenus within Hypherpes, 

 because of the modification of the last ventral segment in the male 

 by a depression, carina and submedial denticle. The men turn is 

 quadrate in form, with the apex broadly and rather deeply sinuate, 

 the lobes acute, and the prosternal process is margined along the 

 broad subtruncate tip. The head is less developed than usual in 

 Hypherpes. 



The genus Myas looks decidedly out of place in this subfamily; 

 perhaps it should more properly represent a distinct subfamily 

 group because of the securiform labial palpi, wholly unlike any- 

 thing known among the more typical Pterostichids. I have in- 

 cluded it here simply for completeness, as it was included among 

 the Pterostichids by Horn, though not considered by LeConte in 

 his work on Pterostichus and allied genera, and was not mentioned 

 by Hayward in his treatment of the Amarinae. 



I am much indebted to Mr. Leng for calling my attention to the 

 genus named Lyperopherus by Motschulsky, founded apparently 

 upon Pt. punctatissimus Rand. Mr. Leng states, in a letter just 

 received, that " I think that this genus was erected in Schrenk's 



