HARPALINVE 233 



having the sutural stria obsolete basally. Length (cf 9 ) 4.7-5.4 

 mm.; width 1.8-2.2 mm. Mexico (Amecameca and Tres Marias in 

 Morelos) *obsoletus Say 



3 Hind angles of the prothorax right or very nearly so; abdominal pubes- 

 cent spots (d* ) well separated. Similar in form to nitidus but smaller ; 

 body entirely black, highly polished above, usually with distinct 

 greenish tinge, rarely obscurely suffused with testaceous, especially 

 toward the base of the elytra; legs and base of the antennae testa- 

 ceous; prochorax rather feebly narrowed posteriorly, the sides sinuate 

 just before the hind angles; basal impressions rather broad and with a 

 few punctures; elytral striae, except the sutural, faint or obliterated; 

 lower surface, except the prosternal side-pieces, sparsely punctate, 

 each puncture bearing a short hair; ventral surface finely but dis- 

 tinctly alutaceous, shining. Length 3.5-5 mm. Oregon to southern 

 California politus Fall 



Hind angles obtuse, the prothorax more distinctly narrowed posteriorly; 

 abdominal pubescent spot^ (cf ) confluent, this assumed in the case 

 of intermedius; size small 4 



4 Sides of the pro^horax slightly sinuate before the hind angles, the 

 latter more sharply defined; elytra three times as long as the pro- 

 thorax; color black, highly polished, with distinct bronze or green- 

 bronze surface lustre, the legs and base of the antennae pale; pro- 

 thorax more distinctly narrowed behind than in politus; basal 

 impressions with very few fine punctures, otherwise nearly as in 

 politus. Length 4.2-4.5 mm. California (San Bernardino Mts. 

 5000-7000 feet the typical locality and Lake Tahoe). 



intermedius Fall 



Sides of the prothorax scarcely visibly sinuate before the angles, which 

 are less sharply defined; elytra two and one-half times as long as the 

 prothorax; hind angles of the prothorax more obtuse than in inter- 

 medins, the elytra relatively shorter, otherwise nearly similar; 

 abdominal pubescent spots (cf) contiguous. Length 3.5-4 mm. 

 California (Pasadena, 1000 feet elevation) obtusus Fall 



The species of the second section of the genus are defined above 

 from the characters given by Mr. H. C. Fall (Journ. N. Y. Ent. 

 Soc., 1905, p. 175). Among my series politus is easily identified 

 and represented by numerous examples, but whether or not either 

 of the others is present among individuals taken at San Diego by 

 Dunn, or in Monterey Co., at Lake Tahoe or Reno, Nevada, by 

 myself, I am uncertain; they are very closely allied among them- 

 selves. Mr. Bates in the "Biologia," defined several varietal forms 

 of obsoletus, but it would take large and carefully collected series 

 to demonstrate the validity of them, even as subspecies; obsoletus, 

 however, is different from nitidus and valid in every way as a species. 



