Coleopterological Notices, VI. fi9T 



or environmental varieties of a common j^arent species. Tiiese 

 four species, and probably a few others yet to be described, con- 

 stitute a subgenus or a small and pure genus within a large and 

 complex so-called genus, as shown by the common type of sex- 

 ual organization. Primary sexual characters are, as far as known, 

 exceedingly constant and permanent features, and decided differ- 

 ences in them should apparently indicate divergence at compara- 

 tively remote epochs. In foct, as before indicated, these sexual 

 characters when differing decidedly in type are extremely impor- 

 tant taxonomic elements, and are often indices of generic iden- 

 tity. This is not to say that all such genera should necessaril}' 

 receive distinct appellations at present, nor does it mean that 

 these are the only criteria for the estimation of genera, as we fre- 

 quently meet with entire families, which must be split up into 

 genera because of certain more or less apparently important mor- 

 phological inconsistencies, in which the sexual structure is quite 

 uniform ; but it means that those groups in which the sexual 

 structure is varied are, as a rule, the oldest and most permanently 

 established aggregates, in spite of any accidental similarities in 

 outward form or habitus. 



9. A. flaTicaus Lee— Proc. Acacl. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1852, p. 99. 



Moderately stout, convex, the elytra polished, dark rufo-testa- 

 eeous, the abdomen blackish ; elytra blackish at apex and at the 

 middle ; pubescence long, coarse, shaggy and conspicuous. Head 

 quadrate, feebly convex, truncate at base, with a very obsolete 

 median impression ; basal angles right and distinct ; eyes moder- 

 ate, prominent, not longer than the tempora which are parallel to 

 the base; surface strongly, closely punctate, with an entire me- 

 dian impunctate line; antennae slender, feebl}' incrassate. Pro- 

 thorax scarcely narrower than the head, convex, fully as wide as 

 long, the sides rounded anteriorly, thence moderately convergent 

 and feebly arcuate to basal fifth, then parallel to the base, the lat- 

 ter feebly margined ; disk with long fine and close, longitudinal 

 and anastomosing ruga', which are punctured at the bottom. 

 Elytra thi^ee-fourths longer than wide, barely twice as wide as the 

 prothorax, convex, i-ather narrowly rounded behind, somewhat 

 coarsely and sparseh^ punctate ; omoplates invisible. Abdomen 

 rather sparsely punctate. Length 2.3-3.1 mm.; width 0.8-1.1 mm. 



Montana, Wyoming and Iowa ; obtained in large numbers at 



