376 Coleoptet'ological Notices. 



ous behind, the apex rather acutely rounded ; surface rugulose throughout, 

 especially toward apex, and with three imperfectly defined and very feeble 

 eroded grooves ; punctures very minute and sparse throughout. Abdomen finely 

 and sparsely punctate, with slight traces of rugulosity. Length 14.0 mm. ; 

 width 7.0 mm. 



California (Santa Barbara Co.). 



The original description of this species was drawn from a series 

 comprising several distinct forms. The specimen designated by Dr. 

 Horn as "1," judging from the coarseness of the dorsal punctua- 

 tion, is probably a specimen of ahdominalis in which the ventral 

 punctuation and rugulosity has become rudimentary. The descrip- 

 tion here given is taken from a specimen in the cabinet of LeConte, 

 and is distinguished from ahdominalis by its very fine punctuation 

 of the upper surface. From elliptica which has also been confounded 

 with robusta, the latter is at once distinguishable not only by its 

 rugulose, but at the same time more convex elytra, with strongly 

 arcuate lateral edges. 



'o^ 



C elliptica Casey. — Cont. Col. N. A., I, p. 46. — Robust in the female, 

 the male very slightly more than twice as long as wide, moderately convex, 

 smooth, strongly shining, the pronotum feebly alutaceous, intense black 

 throughout. Head small, very distinctly less than one-half as wide as the 

 prothorax, very finely and somewhat densely punctate ; antennje slender, the 

 outer joints scarcely perceptibly incrassate. Prothorax from two-thirds to 

 nearly four-fifths wider than long ; sides subparallel or very feebly conver- 

 gent from the base to slightly beyond the middle, broadly rounded anteriorly ; 

 base transverse, the angles feebly prolonged posteriorly ; disk excessively 

 finely, very sparsely punctate, the punctures but slightly closer and stronger 

 toward the sides, the lateral edges extremely narrowly and finely reflexed. 

 Elytra always much more than twice as long as the prothorax, generally slightly 

 inflated behind the middle, gradually and ratlier feebly declivous behind ; 

 apex acutely rounded ; disk nearly smooth, very minutely and sparsely punc- 

 tate. Abdomen smooth, polished, extremely minutely and sparsely punctate. 

 Length 12.5-14.5 mm. ; width 6.0-7.4 mm. 



California (Kern and San Diego Cos.). 



Most of the specimens have the elytra smooth, but in several 

 there is a distinct indication of the three eroded" grooves noted 

 under robusta, and the same is the case in ovalis and ahdominalis, 

 the erosions constituting a feature which may at some time have 

 characterized a considoral^lc part of the genus. The variation in 

 form is very remarkable, one female having the prothorax distinctly 

 inflated before the middle ; the nine representatives agree rigorously, 



