494 REVISION OF THE ELATERID^ 



punctured at the sides: the abdomen is densely and finely punctured, the last joint has 

 a few larger setigerous punctures each side near the tip. 



2. M. p i c e u s , niger nitidissimus, thorace a basi antrorsum subangustato, latitudine longiore, la- 

 teribus antice rotundatis, subtilius punctato, densius ad latera, elytris subtiliter seriatim punctatis, in- 

 terstitiis subtilissime parce punctulatis. Long. -9 — 1/2. 



Mater piceus De Geer, Ins. 4, 1G2, tab. 18, fig. 3, (1775.) 



Mater laevigatas Fabr. Ent. Syst. emend. Suppl. 138, (1798:) Syst. El. 2, 225: Herbst, Ka- 



fer, 10, 45. 

 Mater morio (var.) Say, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. 6, 165. 

 Pristilophus Isevigatus Germ. Zeitschr. 4, 84. 

 Pristilophus femoralis Melsheimer, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sc. 2, 216. 



Middle, Southern and Western States, abundant. The antenna) and feet are described 

 as fuscous by all the authors : the latter appear to me to be black, with the tarsi brownish 

 piceous: the antenna) are dull black, becoming brownish towards the tip. These are, 

 however, characters of no importance, as they are the same in all the species. 



A specimen from Missouri Territory has the punctures of the thorax and of the elytra] 

 series much larger, but otherwise presents no difference. 



One specimen from York Co., Pennsylvania, given me by the Rev. D. Ziegler, in form 

 and sculpture agrees exactly with the others, except that the thorax, instead of being 

 sparsely, is quite densely punctured: the punctures at the sides are so close as to become 

 confluent; towards the middle of the base they are finer and more distant: the dorsal line 

 is more deeply impressed than usual. From the next species, this variety is distinguished 

 by the sides of the thorax converging from the base, and by the posterior angles being 

 subacute, as in the preceding species, the lateral margin being slightly dilated, so as to 

 compress the elevated ridge. 



3. M. dens us, ater, nitidus, thorace latitudine non longiore, lateribus parallelis antice rotunda- 

 tis, confertim, lateribus confluenter punctatis, elytris seriatim punctatis, interstitiis punctulatis et ru- 

 gosis. Long. -85 — "95. 



Specimens collected in California by Mr. Pease and Mr. Child. Brownish black, 

 shining: head densely punctured; antenna) with the last joint more obtuse than in the 

 other species: palpi black: thorax not longer than wide; sides margined as usual, parallel, 

 rounded from the anterior third to the tip: posterior angles not divergent, with the ele- 

 vated ridge broader and more obtuse than in M. piceus; disc densely moderately finely 

 punctured; punctures confluent at the sides, less dense but not finer towards the middle of 

 the base; dorsal line very short, almost obsolete: elytra, with series of punctures, as in 

 M. piceus, the outer series being more distinct; interstices tolerably densely punctate, 

 and more densely finely rugous than in the preceding species. Beneath, as in M. piceus. 



4. M. m or i o, niger, nitidus, thorace latitudine longiore, a basi subangustato, lateribus antice 

 rotundatis, lateribus confertim medio minus dense punctato, elytris striis profundia crenatis, interstitiis 

 convexis parce punctulatis, subrugosis. Long. "90 — 1*06. 



Mater morio Fabr. Ent. Syst. emend. Suppl. 138: Syst. El. 2, 225: Herbst, Ivifer, 10, 28; tab. 

 160, fig. 7: Say, Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. 6, 165. 

 Mater lacunosus Fabr. Syst. El. 2, 224. 

 Pristilophus morio Germ. Zeitschr. 4, 85. 



