THE MINUTE MUD-LOVING BEETLES. 675 



1294 (.3909). LIMNICHUS OVATIS Lee., I 'roc. Phil. Acad. Nat. Sci.. VII, 



lsij4, 117. 



Ovate, rather acutely pointed behind. Above dark brown to piceous, 

 shining, conspicuously clothed with pale brownish-yellow pubescence; an- 

 tenna* and legs dark reddish-brown; under surface paler piceous. Thorax 

 more than twice as wide as long, sides straight, disk sparsely and very 

 finely punctate, without median groove. Elytra nearly four times as long 

 as thorax and one-fourth wider, very finely and sparsely punctate. Pro- 

 sternum with a deep median groove, which reaches neither base nor apex. 

 Length 1.2-1.5 mm. 



Putnam (Vanity; scarce. April 17-October 17. A half dozen 

 specimens were sifted during a severe drouth from debris just above 

 a hillside spring. Known heretofore only from the "Southern 

 States." 



Family XXXII. GEORYSSID.E. 



THE MINUTE MUD-LOVING BEETLES. 



A very few minute, rounded, convex species comprise this fam- 

 ily. They have the surface roughly sculptured; antenmv short, 9- 

 jointed, inserted under the sides of the front, the last three joints 

 forming an oval club; head deflexcd. eyes rounded; prosternum very 

 small; mesosternum short and wide, sloping downward in front; 

 elytra entire; abdomen with five free ventral segments; front coxa 1 

 rather prominent, with a deep fissure between them; middle coxa 1 

 oval, well separated ; legs short, slender, tarsi 4-jointed, claws 

 simple. 



They live on the margins of streams and cover themselves with 

 a coating of mud or fine sand, so that they can be detected only 

 when they move. One genus represents- the family. 



GEORYSSUS Lat, 1807. (Gr., "earth f dig up.") 



This genus, sufficiently characterized above, is represented in 

 the United States by two known species. One of these, G. pusillu* 

 Lee., black, thorax rugosely punctate, strongly margined, with an 

 interrupted elevated line on side, elytra with rows of rather coarse 

 punctures, length 1.7 mm., doubtless occurs in the State, but no 

 verified Indiana specimen has been seen. 



Family XXXIII. PARNID.E. 

 THE LONG-TOED WATER BEETLES. 



This is a small family of a<|iiatie beetles which live for the most 

 part in swift running water, where they cling to flat stones, logs or 



