TENEBRIONID.E 175 



ately convex, finely but strongly, closely punctate, with the hairs 

 long though more decumbent; metasternum extremely short between 

 the second and third coxae. Length 14.0 mm.; width 6.2 mm. 

 Southern California (Colorado Desert). [Pelecyphorus hirsutus 



Lee.] hirsuta Lee. 



Body shorter and broader, similar in color and vestiture, except that the 

 long flying hairs are not so long and the vestiture of the legs is less 

 abundant, shorter and much less conspicuous, the vestiture of the 

 elytra aggregated into longitudinal vittse, which are more distinctly 

 defined than in hirsuta; lustre much more shining than in the pre- 

 ceding; head nearly similar but with the erect hairs coarser and more 

 inclined to fulvous in color; prothorax nearly similar but very much 

 shorter, nearly one-half wider than long, the margins strongly but 

 not broadly reflexed, the pubescence coarser and more yellowish; 

 elytra more oblong and relatively broader, one-half wider than the 

 prothorax and nearly three and one-half times as long, rather shining, 

 finely, sparsely granulato-punctulate; legs shorter than in hirsuta 

 and much more slender. Length 13.0-14.5 mm.; width 6.0-6.7 mm. 

 California (La Puerta, 85 miles from San Diego; elevation 2500 

 feet), Ricksecker lineatopilosa n. sp. 



Hirsuta seems to be very rare and I have in my cabinet only a 

 single specimen, which is in all probability a female, as the fourth 

 palpal joint is much less than recti-triangular. The long flying 

 hairs on the entire body, and especially on the legs, give it a very 

 peculiar appearance. 



Group II Type acerba Horn. 



This group is composed of some of the smallest and by far the 

 most delicate of the American species of the tribe; it is distributed 

 from Utah into northern Mexico and to the westward as far as the 

 Colorado Desert of California. The anterior parts are notably 

 small when compared with the elongate-oval hind body and the 

 latter is as completely devoid of elytral margin as in the first group; 

 the thoracic base is transverse but more evidently arcuate medially 

 than in the latter. The legs are much shorter and very slender, the 

 tarsi relatively longer than in hirsuta, very slender and with short, 

 sparser and spinuliform pale hairs beneath, the claws shorter and 

 more arcuate, the anterior tibiae loosely spinulo-serrate externally. 

 There is considerable diversity in the mentum even within the limits 

 of this rather homogeneous group, this in acerba being in close con- 

 tact with the short obtuse sides of the buccal opening and with a 

 short gular pedestal, while in tenella the mentum is mounted on a 



