CERAMBYCID^ 269 



Smodicum Hald. 



A remarkable genus, having male sexual characters affecting 

 the prosternum in much the same way as in Stenosphenus. It is 

 considered a distinct group of the Asemini by LeConte. The 

 antennae are nearly similar in length in the male and female, though 

 stouter toward base in the former sex, in which also the thighs 

 are noticeably thicker. 



Smodicum convergens n. sp. Elongate, parallel, depressed, shining, 

 pale red-brown in color; head and eyes nearly as in cucujiforme, the an- 

 tennae much longer, the fifth joint very much longer than the third, the 

 latter barely longer than the fourth; sides of the head behind the eyes 

 virtually parallel; prothorax rather longer than wide, somewhat swollen 

 behind the middle, the sides thence feebly converging and nearly straight 

 to the very short apical arcuation, the apex and base equal in width; 

 surface wholly unimpressed, rather strongly and loosely punctate, with a 

 narrow impunctate median line; scutellum small, rounded; elytra parallel, 

 with straight sides, nearly a third wider than the prothorax, almost as in 

 cucujiforme, slightly dehiscent near the apex; legs much longer than in 

 that species. Length (9) 10.0 mm.; width 2.3 mm. Texas. 



Larger than cucujiforme Say, deeper in coloration, with less 

 parallel and unimpressed prothorax, longer antennae and much 

 longer legs. I think that the systematic position of Smodicum 

 was correctly adjudged by LeConte and that the affinities with 

 Oeme, suspected by Bates, do not evince themselves at all conclu- 

 sively. 



Tribe CALLIDIINI. 



A group of Cerambycids separable from the Asemini, according 

 to LeConte, by the membranous ligula. The eyes are always 

 finely faceted, but in some genera such as Physocnemum, Rhopalopus 

 and Hylotrupes, the second antennal joint has no such development 

 as it has in the Asemini or even in Callidium and related genera. 



Physocnemum Hald. 



A number of distinct species of the brevilineum type exist in 

 our collections, of which the two following seem to be hitherto 

 undescribed : 



Physocnemum compressipes n. sp. Form as in brevilineum but darker 

 and more obscure in coloration and without the more sparsely punctate 

 sutural pale region before the middle of the elytra in that species, black, 

 dull in lustre; head as in brevilineum, the antennae (cf ) nearly as long but 

 stouter, the outer joints shorter, the last not longer than the preceding 



