232 THE CANADIAN ENTOMOLOGIST, 



used with profit in synoptic tables, and thus rendered the task of identi- 

 fication much less difficult, though from the extent of the group there is 

 necessarily still trouble in certain portions of the series. In the following 

 table I have used chiefly the points first recognized as important either 

 by him or by Dr, Leconte, but by a somewhat different, if more artificial, 

 sequence, am able to do away with the necessity of using the fixity or 

 freedom of tibial spurs of the male as a prime character, this being some- 

 what difficult for a beginner" to demonstrate without softening the 

 specimen. The ventral ridge referred to as separating the forms of the 

 fusca group is to be found near the hind margin of the ventral segment 

 immediately preceding the last. 



Though the species of Lachnosterna are ordinarily easily separated 

 from those of any other Eastern American genera by their facies (Fig. 20, 

 page 197, Lachnosterna fusca) their extreme similarity amongst themselves 

 is such as to practically debar the formation of a table based on easily 

 seen characters, and the females must usually be associated with their 

 appropriate males by comparison. They have been almost entirely left 

 out of account in the second division (AA) of the accompanying table : 



A. Body above conspicuously hairy or pubescent. 



b. Antenna 9-jointed ; body above sparsely clothed with erect 

 hairs hirsnta, Knoch. 



bb. Antennae lo-jointed. 



Elytra with series of erect hairs arranged in 



vittge hirticula, Knoch. 



Elytra with sparse short pubescence, longer at 



base iristis, Fabr. 



Elytra pruinose, pubescence uniform, recumbent. ///<;«, Knoch. 

 AA. Body without conspicuous hairs or pubescence above. 



c. Inner spur of hind tibiae $ very short, the outer long and 

 slender ephilida, Say. 



cc Inner spur of hind tibiae $ at least moderately long (usually 

 half as long as the other or more). 



d. Yellowish-testaceous, form slender, subcylindrical, size 

 small (.41 to .52 inch.) .gracilis, Burm. 



dd. Colour darker, form more robust, never notably slender, 

 size larger. 



