34 MEMOIRS ON THE COLEOPTERA. 



striction at the middle; prothorax rather more than one-half wider than 

 long, widest behind the middle, the sides evenly arcuate, moderately 

 converging anteriorly, the base broadly rounded, subsinuate near the 

 angles, which are obtuse and blunt; elytra moderately transverse, as 

 wide as the prothorax, though basally a little narrower, the suture 

 equal in length to the pronotum, the apical sinuses distinct; abdomen 

 broad, at base but slightly narrower than the elytra, thence tapering 

 very slightly, the fifth tergite nearly four-fifths as wide as the base, a 

 third longer than the fourth; margins notably thick. Length 2.5 mm.; 

 width 0.73 mm. California (Siskiyou Co.). 



To be identified very readily in the present group, having 

 coarser asperate abdominal sculpture by its stout form, dark 

 coloration and thick abdominal margins. 



The following five species belong to the same group as the pre- 

 ceding six, having similar coarse asperate abdominal sculpture, but 

 they are decidedly smaller, and, as a rule, more slender; they are 

 always in great part pale in color, live in rather solitary fashion in 

 mouldy earth and are numerous and difficult to define recognizably; 

 those described hitherto are nigriceps, from Rhode Island, and 

 simulans and perexilis, from St. Louis, Missouri; as a group they 

 belong to the fauna of the Atlantic States exclusively: 



Oxypoda oblita n. sp. Much stouter than any of the others in this 

 group, the head and abdomen blackish, the latter broadly and indefinitely 

 paler basally and at apex, the prothorax and legs pale flavo-testaceous, 

 the elytra darker, piceo-testaceous; punctures fine and dense, those of 

 the abdomen smaller, closer and more feebly asperate than usual, the 

 pale vestiture distinct, close; head three-fifths as wide as the prothorax, 

 inflated at base, much shorter than wide, the eyes rather prominent but 

 small, at more than their own length from the base; antennse blackish, 

 rather stout and moderately incrassate beyond the fourth joint, paler 

 basally, the third joint much'Shorter and rather thinner than the second, 

 fourth fully as long as wide, outer joints short, strongly transverse, the 

 tenth more than one-half wider than long, the last unusually short, one- 

 half longer than wide, as long as the preceding two, very obtusely ogival 

 at tip, having a feeble remnant of the constriction at the middle of the 

 inner side only; prothorax short, fully three-fifths wider than long, 

 widest behind the middle, the sides rounded, less so and moderately 

 converging anteriorly, the base evenly rounded, the angles obtuse and 

 blunt; elytra transverse, very slightly narrower than the prothorax, the 

 suture equal in length to the latter, the apical sinuses distinct; abdomen 

 at base nearly as wide as the elytra, thence distinctly tapering, with 

 feebly arcuate sides and fine acute margins, the fifth tergite three-fourths 

 as wide as the base and more than one-half longer than the fourth. 

 Length 1.9-2.2 mm.; width 0.48-0.5 mm. Mississippi (Vicksburg). 



