DYNASTIN/E 173 



Burm., but it has the anterior clypeal margin evenly sinuate and 

 very evenly, moderately reflexed throughout the width ; the thoracic 

 punctures are evidently finer and the lustre more shining; finally, 

 the punctures of the pygidium are very even and evenly distributed 

 throughout. Ebeninus is probably the species identified as the 

 West Indian picipes Burm., by Mr. Bates, but Burmeister states of 

 picipes "vordere erhabene Rand des Kopfschildes in der Mitte 

 leicht ausgebuchtet, zweizackig"; there is no suggestion of any 

 such conformation in the type of ebeninus and, besides, it seems to 

 represent a smaller species than picipes- 16-18 mm. and with 

 much darker, in fact virtually black, legs. Obtusus is evidently 

 allied to frater Bates, but the author states that the anterior claw- 

 joint of the male in that species is robust, deeply sinuate beneath 

 and with the larger claw very wide, no one of which characters will 

 suit the male type of obtusus; the locality of frater, Vera Cruz, is 

 also rather different zoologically. It is to be regretted that the 

 type of discedens, defined above, is unique, for it may be possible 

 that the peculiar sculpture described above is a malformation; 

 it is for this reason that in venturing to define the form, I have 

 thought it prudent to give it no higher than a varietal status 

 provisionally. 



The above described type of parvus was sent to me under the 

 name bidentatus Burm., but though apparently allied to that 

 species, it differs in the form of the anterior margin of the clypeus; 

 besides this, the elytral punctures of bidentatus are said by Bur- 

 meister to be " Bogenstrichen die hinten offen sind," and further 

 that the margin above the hind coxae is "schwielig verdicht"; 

 there is no trace of this in parvus. These small species, such as 

 parvus and parensis, are not only abnormal Dyscinetids but are 

 greatly diversified structurally among themselves; the presence of 

 the male, which seems to be rare, would doubtless demonstrate a 

 number of isolated structures of more or less subgeneric nature; 

 the form of the prosternal projection of parensis is alone so peculiar 

 as to indicate a different subgenus, or perhaps more justly genus, 

 and the clypeus differs greatly from that of parvus. The entire 

 Dyscinetid group is in need of thorough revision; only a small 

 proportion of the species have been described. 



