298 NEOTROPICAL PSELAPHIDAE 



somewhat narrower, subtriangular, with the internal apical face obtusely 

 angulate, segment slightly longer than wide; fourth as long or as much as 

 one-third longer than second, subfusiform, wider than second, very narrow 

 towards base and apex, the apex more or less lengthily aciculate, and without 

 a discernible palpal cone. (PI. XX). 



The species may be listed as follows: 



ampliventris Schaufuss. 1879. Amazon basin, Brazil. 



batesellus Westwood. 1870. Amazon basin, Brazil. 



cavicornis Raffray. 1904. Matto Grosso, Brazil. 



fluminicola Schaufuss. Amazon basin, Brazil. 



marelloides Reitter. 1888. Blumenau, Brazil. 



nanus Schaufuss. 1879. Amazon basin, Brazil. 



subglobosus Westwood. 1870. Amazon basin, Brazil. Genotype. 



vulgaris Raffray. 1904. Central Paraguay. 



TYROPSIS (Saulcy, cf. Raffray, 1908) 



This neotropical genus holds seven species from Chile and two from 

 Brazil. Since I am unfamiliar with any of the species, I have followed the 

 1908 treatment of Raffray. It would appear that the taxonomy of the genus 

 is involved and partially lost in the early records of the family. Blanchard 

 described Pselaphus castanea (led no doubt to place it in this genus because 

 of its large maxillary palpi). Reitter, recognizing castanea as not related to the 

 Pselaphus of Herbst, included Blanchard's species in a new genus, Aplodea. 

 Previously, however, Saulcy had erected the genus Tyropsis for a beetle in 

 Chevrolet's collection, and which was supposed to belong to the Mediterranean 

 fauna but in reality was identical with castanea. Some order was attained 

 when Raffray was able to examine the Blanchard type in the Museum of 

 Paris. 



Structurally, Tyropsis is homogeneous and typically tyrine. The sexes 

 are well marked. The males have the last three to five antennomeres variously 

 excavated or spined as a rule, while the three-segmented antennal club is 

 simple in the females. The sixth sternite is laterally sinuate and medianly 

 lobed or produced in the males, and simply transverse in the females. The 

 last (fifth visible) tergite is gibbous in the males and flat in the females. 



Its closest relatives are to be found in Neotyrus, both genera having 

 similar maxillary palpi and differing in pronotal and tergite structure as 

 previously set forth in the tribal key. 



The maxillary palpi are four-segmented, large and conspicuous; first seg- 

 ment very small; second and third similar in form, elongate with a slender 

 base swelling in a rounded apical inflation, the third much shorter and as 

 wide to slightly narrower than the second segment (the amount of apical in- 

 flation in both palpomeres subject to specific variation) ; fourth segment 

 elongate-fusiform, slender at both base and apex, the apex is minutely truncate 

 with a setiform palpal cone set within this truncature. (PI. XX). 



