428 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



antennae in both sexes, parallel, with the usual broad and feeble frontal 

 impression and setigerous punctures; prothorax nearly similar in the 

 sexes and more elongate than in the preceding species, about a sixth 

 longer than wide and just visibly wider than the head in both; sides 

 parallel and feebly arcuate, with the angles broadly rounded, the usual 

 discal punctures, including the transverse median pair, distinct in both 

 sexes ; elytra quadrate, evidently shorter than the prothorax but only 

 just visibly wider, smaller than in punctiventris but otherwise nearly 

 similar; abdomen as wide as the elytra, punctured nearly as in the pre- 

 ceding species but more closely. Male with sexual characters nearly 

 as in punctiventris, the shallow sinuationof the sixth ventral even wider 

 and more feeble, being about eight or nine times as wide as deep, the 

 second and third antennal joints equal in length and thickness, and 

 each distinctly shorter than the fourth and fifth combined; female with 

 the sixth ventral broadly and evenly rounded, the second antennal joint 

 evidently longer and thicker than the third, the latter relatively still 

 smaller than in the male, the body slightly smaller and more slender as 

 usual. Length 4.3-4.8 mm.; width 0.75-0.78 mm. California (Siski- 

 you Co.) fraternus n. sp. 



The species described above under the name americanus is 

 the one that has long figured in our lists as the European 

 pilicornis Payk., but a carefully identified example of the 

 latter species sent me by Mr. Reitter, shows that there is not 

 even a close resemblance between them, the prothorax of pili- 

 cornis being much shorter and narrower than the elytra, the 

 latter being even more largely developed. In addition, the 

 coloration is different and the head notably larger, more 

 transverse and with numerous large dorsal punctures, of 

 which there is not a trace in the American species. Of 

 jmnctivenfris I have before me three examples, two females 

 and one male. The females have the transverse medial pair 

 of pronotal punctures well developed, but the male has no 

 vestige of them and is the only specimen in my cabinet, of 

 either American or European species, in which these setigerous 

 punctures are not distinctly evident and very regular in 

 formation. It is almost impossible to believe that their 

 absence in this single male is not a malformation, although in 

 such cases, concerning characters of such persistence, there 

 is usually a trace of one or both at least on one side, but here 

 they are completely wanting, without even a vestige on either 

 side. If by further examination this be found to be a male 

 sexual peculiarity of punctiventris^ it will constitute an addi- 



