286 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [November, 



Physocnemum violaceipenne n. s. , Copris gopheri, Spalacopsis 

 filum and Ancylocera brevicornis. 



By JOHN HAMILTON, M.D. 



Physocnemum violaceipenne. Black, thorax bituberculate, elytra viola- 

 ceous, without ivory lines. Head short, very finely scabro-punctate, a 

 broad transverse frontal impression in front of the eyes, which are rounded 

 and moderately coarsely granulated, a fine median line; antennae about 

 the length of the body, ciliate beneath, scape short, conical ; thorax about 

 as long as the width of the base or apex, sides of thorax strongly arcuate, 

 much widest at middle, from which they are rounded to base and apex, a 

 strongly elevated median line from near apex to base, a large obtuse 

 tubercle on each side on the disc just behind the middle, very finely 

 scabro-punctate and with dense minute hairs ; elytra violaceous, surface 

 rather even, densely finely scabro-punctate, a little more coarsely toward 

 base, parallel, slightly compressed at the sides at middle, apex margined, 

 roundly truncate, with the angles obtuse, sides vertical till one-fourth 

 before apex and separated from the disc by a humeral carina, disc with 

 two slightly elevated lines, parallel to each other and to the humeral 

 carina extending from base to three-fourths to apex ; underside rather 

 sparsely punctate and pubescent. Length .45 inch. 



Described from two examples without apparent sexual differ- 

 ence. Taken at Jeannette, Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, 

 by Mr. H. Klages. 



Differs from brevilineum by the complete absence of ivory 

 lines and the much finer, denser, scabro-punctuation of the elytra, 

 also the thicker and more serrate joints of the antennae. The 

 color is closely like that seen on fracturing a piece of Prussian 

 blue. 



Copris gopheri Schwarz. 



This is one of the several beetles taken in Florida in the under- 

 ground habitation of the digging tortoise, Polyphemus gopheri ; 

 it may, however, be a question whether it is entirely subterranean 

 in its breeding habits. I have recently examined three female 

 examples sent to Rev. Jerome Schmitt among other things, from 

 Santield, Fla. These flew into the house at night to the lights; 

 they differed in no respect from such as were obtained by dig- 

 ging, except in being more highly polished and intensely black. 

 Whether these had been bred with the tortoise and came forth 

 in quest of another habitation of the same kind, or may have 

 been bred elsewhere, is open to investigation. 



