26 MEMOIRS ON THE COLEOPTERA 



black, with violet lustre, the elytra obscure cupreous; under surface and 

 legs deep black; head as in lecontei, the antennae relatively distinctly 

 shorter, slender; prothorax as in lecontei throughout but with the sides 

 more prominently rounded medially, the base similarly bi-impressed and 

 sparsely punctured between the foveae; elytra nearly similar but narrower, 

 the strial punctures less distinct and all the intervals irregularly broken 

 up and tuberculiferous apically and in about lateral third, except basally; 

 anterior tarsi (cf ) less strongly dilated, the first joint rather longer than 

 wide. Length (d 71 ) 10.0 mm.; width 4.6 mm. New Brunswick. 



The head and prothorax are relatively a little smaller than in 

 lecontei and the hind tarsi still shorter, the anterior tarsi of the 

 male are much less dilated and the elytral sculpture more confused 

 laterally. 



Brennus Mots. 



This group of the Cychrini, whether wholly valid as a genus or 

 not, is at any rate very definitely circumscribed. The conditions 

 prevai ing within it are similar to those pertaining to Omus and 

 Euschides; that is to say, we see a geologically recent type splitting 

 into a most confusing variety of subordinate forms, due principally 

 to geographic isolation in mountainous country, but at the present 

 stage of development exhibiting a process of segregation nto a 

 more limited number of tolerably definite primary or stem forms, 

 with many allied subordinates in each case. I have no doubt at 

 all that these satellites of the more definite stem forms should be 

 called subspecies, but to go further and discriminate such categories 

 as varieties, aberrations and monstrosities, is wholly unwarranted 

 at the present stage of knowledge. It is also a very difficult matter 

 to decide, with our present lights, just which should be considered 

 stem forms and thus receive the designation of species, and which 

 should continue as subspecies. That Dr. Roeschke has carried 

 the lumping too far is I think self-evident. For example, under 

 ventricosus he places both striatus Lee. and fuchsianus Riv., in sub- 

 ordinate rank; this is clearly unwarranted, for they both differ 

 profoundly from ventricosus Dej., in general habitus and other 

 characters of moment in this genus. The author has also, quite 

 without any sort of warrant, suppressed my symmetricus as a 

 monstrosity, but for what reason is unknown; it is altogether iso- 

 lated in general habitus and gives no indication of being an aberra- 

 tion in the usual meaning of that word; but only the single char- 



