BYRRHID.E 3 



Subfamily NOSODENDRIN.E. 



Widely extended in distribution over the palaearctic provinces 

 and most of North America, the number of species is surprisingly 

 small, showing that this is probably the oldest type of the Byrrhidse 

 considered geologically ; the species are however moderately numer- 

 ous in Mexico; they all belong to a single genus. 



Nosodendron Latr. 



The body in this genus is broadly oval or oblong-oval and is not 

 quite so convex as in the other subfamilies of the Byrrhidse. The 

 species are more or less shining in lustre, strongly, subevenly punc- 

 tate and deep black in color; the elytra have no trace of striation. 

 Our only two known species may be defined as follows : 



Form oblong-oval, evenly convex, strongly shining, deep black, the tarsi 

 slightly piceous, the antennae ferruginous, short, slender, with a 

 broad and very abrupt club of three subequal transverse joints, the 

 last rounded at tip; head wider than long, strongly parabolic in 

 outline, the eyes basal, well developed; prothorax two and three- 

 fourths times as wide as long, the sides strongly, evenly converging 

 from base to apex, evenly and very feebly arcuate, the base broadly 

 and distinctly arcuate, the apex more feebly sinuate; surface strongly, 

 sparsely punctate, more closely and coarsely toward the sides; 

 scutellum acutely triangular, well developed, a little longer than 

 wide; elytra about a fifth longer than wide, slightly widest before 

 the middle, very little wider than the prothorax, very obtuse at 

 apex, the punctures strong, well separated, becoming decidedly 

 coarse but only a little closer laterally, each with a short erect and. 

 squamiform parallel seta, more especially visible and sublinear in 

 arrangement apically; sterna coarsely but not densely punctate; 

 abdomen finely, sparsely and unevenly so, very convex narrowly 

 along the middle, the sutures very coarse and deep, strongly arcuate- 

 medially, becoming straight and transverse laterally, the excavation 

 for the tibiae deep and extending obliquely almost across the second 

 segment, with a lateral oblique connecting channel for the tarsi 

 extending entirely through the second segment; legs short and very 

 stout, the tarsi short and notably slender, simple. Length 4.7-5.2 

 mm.; width 2.7-3.0 mm. Northern Illinois and Kansas. [ Noso-- 

 dendron unicolor Say, Long's Exped., 1824, Vol. 2, p. 274]. 



unicolor Say 



Form slightly more narrowly oval, rather less deep black and notably 

 less shining, similarly but more coarsely and notably more densely 

 punctate above; elytral setae not solitary as in the preceding but 

 aggregated into small fulvous clusters, especially visible toward 

 the sides and apex and by oblique illumination; under surface 

 opaque, the sterna deeply but rather sparsely punctate, the abdomen 



