1900] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 559 



Two New Species of Troctes. 



By NATHAN BANKS. 



Our common Troctes divinatorius (Atropos) for years re- 

 mained the sole representative of this genus in this country. 

 In 1883, however, Mr. Aaron, in the Trans. Am. Ent. Soc., 

 described another form, T. pnrpiircci, found running over 

 papers in Philadelphia. This species has the middle femora 

 much larger than the fore femora and almost as large as the 

 hind femora, while in 7\ dtiinatorius, as in the two following 

 species, the fore and middle femora are subequal and much 

 smaller than the hind femora. I have not seen Aaron's species, 

 and it may not be congeneric with T. divinatorius. Both of 

 these forms are associated with houses, but the two new species 

 described below are out-of-door forms. Doubtless there are 

 many other species in the country, but it will be a long while 

 before collectors gather them. 



The four known species may be tabulated as follow : 



1. Middle femora much longer than fore femora, body reddish.. purpurea. 

 Middle and fore femora subequal 2. 



2. Head and abdomen dark, thorax yellow, tooth on hind femur scarcely 



developed bicolor. 



Nearly unicolorus, a tooth near base of hind femur 3. 



3. Color blackish, tooth blunt niger. 



Color pale, tooth quite sharp divinatoritlS. 



Troctes bicolor n. sp. 



Head shining brown to almost black ; abdomen the same, although a 

 little paler ; thorax clear yellow ; antennae brown on bases, paler toward 

 tips ; legs brown or nearly black ; tarsi and most of tibiae pale ; sternum 

 and under side of head yellow ; venter dull yellowish, darker at tip. 



Head rather quadrate, slightly emarginate on the vertex ; clypeus 

 (nasus) very prominent ; eyes small, situate just above bases of antennae. 

 Antenrtae nearly as long as the body, two large basal joints, then six long 

 slender subequal joints, each about five times as long as broad, then five 

 joints much shorter and subequal, each about two and one-half or three 

 times as long as broad, then an apical joint rather longer than any of the 

 last five. Prothorax transverse, trilobed in front ; meso- and metanotum 

 united in a Hat plate, which is only slightly broader than long, broader 

 behind than in front, and with a median suture on the anterior part. 



Abdomen about two and one-half times as long as broad, depressed, 

 truncate at base, slightly broader in the middle, and broadly rounded 

 behind. Each segment shows a rather darker transverse mark on the 



