THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST 15 



FOUR NEW SPECIES OF MELYRID^ (COLEOPTERA). 



BY FRANK E. BLAISDELL, SR., 

 Stanford University. 



It has been recognized for a long time that the species of Eschatocrepis, 

 inhabiting principally southern California, possesses pale legs while those from 

 the coastal regions of central California have blackish legs, and as a whole are 

 more deeply pigmented. Casey has mentioned differences observed by him in 

 specimens from San Diego and Santa Barbara. The following species is de- 

 scribed at the present time: 



Eschatocrepis nigripes, new species. 



Form elongate. Colour deep black, more or less shining; antenna? dark 

 rufo-piceous ; tibiae and tarsi rufo- to nigro-piceous. Surface micrcscopically 

 reticulate. Pubescence short, sparse and more or less grayish. Head not 

 quite as wide as the pronotal apex; front slightly convex, impressions feeble. 

 Second joint of the antenna? subglobular, about as long as wide; fiTth jc.nt 

 scarcely triangular, although a little more anteriorly prominent than the con- 

 tiguous joints. Pronotum slightly wnder than long; sides parallel, not strongly 

 arcuate in basal half, broadly sinuate in the apical heilf behind the apical angles 

 which are moderately small and rather prominent laterally; basal angles obtis^, 

 not rounded nor prominent; base feebly rounded; apex broadly arcuatortruncate 

 and prominent anteriorly in middle four-sixths, laterally oblique and some- 

 what posteriorly declivous to the angles; disk more or less impressed in the 

 median line, submarginal line strong, surface impressed on the lateral declivity 

 at the sinuations, punctures small and sparse, densely granulato-punctate 

 laterally. Elytra scarcely wider at base than the widest part of the pronotum, 

 about two and two-thirds times longer than the width at base;, sides more or 

 less slightly divergent posteriorly, punctuation rather fine, scarcely sparse, 

 surface very feebly rugoso-reticulate ; apex slightly serrulate, apical margin 

 somewhat explanate. Abdomen subglabrous, very finely sculptured, punctures 

 denser and finer at apex of the fifth segment. 



Male. — More elongate and narrower. Sides of the elytra scarcely divergent 

 posteriorly, apex broadly and very gradually rounded to apex. Fifth ventral 

 abdominal segment transversely truncato-sinuate in middle two-fourths of the 

 apex, lateral fourths oblique and set with a row of stiff marginal hairs; angles 

 rather prominent on their ventral surface and bearing a tuft of slightly longer 

 hairs, intervening apical surface slightly declivous. 



Female. — Relatively shorter behind and more dilated. Fifth ventral with 

 a feeble but distinct, rounded emargination, angles raised and distinctly promi- 

 nent on their ventral surface, forming the sides of the feebly impressed and 

 declivous intervening surface. 



Length 2.3-3.2 mm.; width .7-1.3 mm. 



Type locality. — Sausalito, Marin County, California. 



Holotype, male, and allotype, female, in my own collection. Paratypes 

 in the collection of the California Academy of Sciences. 



Habitat. — California (Sausalito and Fairfax, Marin County, April 26th, 

 Leona Heights, Alameda County, May 5th. 



January. 1921 



