BEMBIDIINTE 131 



Form narrower, the size smaller; head and prothorax relatively much 

 narrower than in either of the two preceding, moderately convex, 

 polished, black, with piceous tinge; elytra flavate, maculate nearly 

 as in the preceding; legs and epipleura pale; head barely visibly 

 narrower than the prothorax, with very prominent eyes; sulci barely 

 visibly converging; antennae with the medial joints obconic, one- 

 half longer than wide; prothorax a third wider than long, the base 

 fully two-thirds the maximum width; sides strongly rounded to the 

 straight parallel basal part; subbasal impression distinct, rugose, 

 interrupted medially; fovese moderately deep, oval, the carina short 

 and feeble; elytra one-half longer than wide, the parallel sides some- 

 what strongly arcuate, rapidly rounding at the humeri; striae rather 

 fine, slightly impressed, the punctures small but rather deep, usu- 

 ally somewhat well separated; foveae as usual, not rigidly fixed in 

 position, varying from near basal and apical third to before and be- 

 hind these positions. Length (cf 9 ) 2.1-2.4 rnm.; width 0.7-0.85 

 mm. California (Sonoma and Sta. Cruz Cos.) and Nevada (Reno). 

 One of the smallest species of Bembid-ion virgatulum n. sp. 



75 Sides of the prothorax becoming parallel for an appreciable distance 

 before the basal angles 76 



Sides oblique behind, becoming only feebly sinuate near the angles; 

 elytral striae slightly abbreviated at tip 84 



76 Elytral striae not entire, in part slightly abbreviated at tip 77 



Elytral striae entire, the relationship with the preceding analogous to 

 that of sociale and allies with constrictum and related species in the 

 preceding section; antennae more slender 80 



77 Frontal sulci parallel or very nearly; species the largest of this ver si- 

 color section of the subgenus 78 



Frontal sulci almost as strongly converging as in the as simile group, but 

 not coalescent at the front margin of the epistoma 79 



78 Body elongate-suboval, convex, shining, colored as in the preceding, 

 except that the legs are more obscure, the femora frequently piceous; 

 head four-fifths as wide as the prothorax, the eyes rather large, mod- 

 erately prominent; antennae colored as usual, rather more slender, 

 the medial joints somewhat more than one-half longer than wide; 

 prothorax moderately transverse, longer than in the two following, 

 not quite two-fifths wider than long, the parallel part of the base 

 about a sixth the total length; sides strongly rounded; base less than 

 three-fourths the maximum width; foveae rather deep, linear, slightly 

 distant from the moderate carina; elytra fully one-half or more 

 longer than wide, nearly one-half wider than the prothorax, oblong- 

 oval in form; striae fine, scarcely impressed, the punctures notably 

 fine and inconspicuous, moderately separated. Length (cf 9 ) 2.8- 

 3.2 mm.; width 1.15-1.2 mm. Pennsylvania, New York (Lake 

 Champlain) and Lake Superior (Marquette and Duluth). Abun- 

 dant decipiens Dej. 



Body more slender and much less ventricose than in the preceding species, 

 the elytra black, with the paler markings small and widely isolated, 

 shining, the elytra slightly less so; head smaller than in decipiens, 

 much narrower than the prothorax; eyes somewhat similar but 



