622 Coleopterological Notices, VI. 



allied to caudatus, differing in the shorter, non-caudate el^'tra, 

 denser punctures of the head and pronotum, coarser abdominal 

 punctuation, shorter antenuse and smaller size. The t^'pe is 

 from a locality in Arizona, widely different from that of caudatus, 

 and there is reason to believe that the caudal process in the latter 

 is as permanent and invariable a feature as in Eleodes caudifera 

 Lee; so there appears to be but little doubt of the validit}' of 

 the species. 



T0]\'IBIITS u. gen. 



The only species which can be referred to this genus for the 

 present are sulcatus Lee, and alternatus Csy. The latter of these 

 species is in no sense an abnormal state of the former, of which 

 I have before me an ample series, no specimen of which displays 

 any tendency to vary in the direction of the peculiar specific 

 characters of alternatus. In alternatus the size is materialh' 

 greater than is ever attained hy sulcatus, and the sculpture of the 

 pronotum is very much coarser. 



^OTIBIUS Lee. 



This is a natural and distinctly characterized group of species, 

 in which the body is stout, oblong and convex,^ with a dense de- 

 cumbent fringe along the lateral margins of the prothorax, and 

 broad fossorial anterior tibiie in both sexes. The four species 

 may be distinguished at once by the following strongly marked 

 and constant characters : — 



Third antennal joint elongate, gi-adually and feebly obconical from base to 

 apex. 



Sides of the pronotum broadly reflexo-explanate pilbertllus Lee. 



Sides not at all or very narrowly subexplanate. 



Head parallel at base; apical angles of the prothorax obtuse but evident 

 externally; pronotum coarsely and deeply punctate. 



substi'iattis Csy. 



Head subangularly prominent at base; apical angles of the prothorax 



very ])roadly and transversely rounded; pronotum very finely, feebly 



and sparsely punctate laticeps Csy. 



Third antennal joint short, only slightly longer than wide and dilated at apex. 



piiiicticollis Lee. 



Of substriatus I have a large series, taken by Mr. Weidt in 

 southwestern Utah ; it extends thence to the elevated plains of 

 the Mojave Desert in California. Puberulus is represented in 



