1891.] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 113 



with apices nearer median line and posterior to those of elytra, overlap- 

 ping base of fourth abdominal segment; anterior pair limbs extending to 

 base of second abdominal segment; median pair to opposite base of third, 

 posterior pair to centre of sixth 'segment. Abdomen depressed, moder- 

 ately curved upon itself; sides feebly convex. Segments nine, decreasing 

 very slowly in width to fifth, then more rapidly; third, fourth, fifth and 

 sixth, subequal; first shorter than second, which is shorter than third; 

 eighth two- thirds as wide as third, shorter than seventh; ninth (anal) sculp- 

 tured, partly sunken within eighth; from its dorsal surface and beneath 

 posterior border of eighth two spines project, which are divergent, slightly 

 recurved, chitinous. Sexual characters: male distinguished by the longer 

 antennal pectinations. There is no appreciable difference between the 

 eighth ventral segments in the two sexes. 



Two specimens ( k and 9 .), Coronado, San Diego County, 

 taken June 24th and July ist, 1890, from 20.32 cm. below the 

 surface of the soil. Position and pupal chamber had been de- 

 stroyed before they were observed. From the appearance and 

 position of the spines, I would infer that the pupa approaches 

 the surface previous to the emergence of the imago. The adult 

 insect is vividly portrayed at this stage, the quadrate pronotum 

 suggests P. f rater. One specimen was permitted to complete 

 the transformations, the imago possessing a narrow prothorax 

 and divergent posterior angles, characteristic of Schaumii. Six 

 days previous to the appearance of the imago, the eyes and man- 

 dibles began to darken ; prothorax darkened, but slightly. The 

 hardening and darkening of the imaginal exoskeleton progressed 

 very slowly; head and thorax had darkened by the fifth day; ab- 

 domen and elytra by the tenth clay. The larva has not yet been 

 recognized, but believe I possess it among several species of 



Elaterid larvae. 



o 



Note on Sphenophorus minimus Hart. 



By JOHN HAMILTON, M.D., Allegheny, Pa. 



Examining some indeterminata taken here, which have been 

 accumulating during several years, two specimens of Spheno- 

 phorus minimus Hart were discovered, a species described 

 lately by Mr. A. C. Hart in an article entitled, "The Corn Bill 

 Bugs," in which he writes an excellent " Key to the Illinois 

 Species" (pertinax, robustus, costipcnnis, scoparius, sculpt His, 

 cariosus, mclanoccphalus, Savi, placidns, mini in us &t\A. pasrvulus). 

 The article treats these species exhaustively, accompanied by 

 three plates of well executed, enlarged figures, and is published 



