Coleoptei'ological Notices. _ 137 



Florida (Tampa). Mr. Schwarz. 



The structure of the under surface agrees quite closely with that 

 of attenuatuH, to which this species- is most unquestionably allied, 

 but from which it is abundantly distinct in size, coloration, and 

 punctuation, the punctures of the elytral series being much less 

 widely spaced and more numerous. 



LITOCHRITS Erichs. 



This genus, and the two which follow, are distinguished from all 

 the others of the family by an abrupt and very radical difference in 

 the structure of the posterior tarsi, for here, instead of the basal 

 joint being very much shorter than the second, it is correspondingly 

 longer, and in the present genus is extremely developed. 



The four species which are assigned below to Litochrus, possess 

 the following assemblage of characters, pulchellus being assumed 

 as the type : — 



Ligula short, broad, with a small median tooth at apex, the paraglossae 

 large, dilated, semimembraiioiis, rather thick and slightly reflexed. Labial 

 palpi very short and robust, first joint minute, triangular ; second oblique, 

 short, slightly longer than the first, strongly transverse ; third longer than 

 the two preceding together, extremely robust, subquadrate, slightly longer 

 than wide, strongly compressed and broadly, transversely truncate at apex. 

 Prosternal process inflexed at apex, not setose. Mesosternum in front of the 

 metasternal process very short and transverse, not prominent, forming a fine 

 undilated bead behind the middle coxae. Metasternal process rather long and 

 wide. Posterior tibiae and tarsi very slender, the first joint of the latter much 

 longer than the entire remainder ; tibial spurs well developed, slender. 



The true Litochrus of Erichson agrees with this, according to 

 description, in the structure of the ligula, but differs greatly in the 

 labial palpi, ^ and the species here assigned to it may possibly have 

 to be separated. The fact that widely different localities have been 

 assigned to the genus by its author, renders it almost certain that 

 several genera have been confounded, more especially as we know 

 now that there are several distinct genera with elongate basal joint 



1 The labial palpi are described by Erichson as having the first joint long, 

 somewhat longer than the second, the third elongate-ovoidal, which is much 

 more true of either Litochropus or Ochrolitus, than it is of the American 

 species of Litochrus. This is, however, a matter which cannot be satisfac- 

 torily settled until the entire family is monographically revised. 



