1873.] '3 J- 'J [.Horn. 



Front distinctly margined. 

 Prosternum compressed, striae entire or nearly so, conver- 

 gent in front. 



Hind tibiae biseriately and usually finely spinulose Group vin. 



Prosternum compresso-carinate, stria; short, united in front, 

 sometimes entirely absent. 

 Hind tibias at least triseriately often confusedly spinulose, 



spinules robust and frequently very short Group, ix. 



In the above scheme Gnathoncus and Pachylopus have been included as 

 synonymous with Saprinus. 



Group I. 



Species of moderately robust form. Front anteriorly not margined, 

 head with distinct supra-orbital stria extending to, and slightly on the 

 margin of the front. Thoracic margin fimbriate. Prosternum moder- 

 ately elevated, feebly convex but narrow at its summit ; stria? following 

 the slight curve of the prosternum, not ascending, broadly divergent at 

 base, slightly divergent in front, nearly attaining the front margin of the 

 prosternum, but not terminating in a fovea. Hind tibial more slender 

 than the middle tibiae, gradually but feebly broader from base to a little 

 beyond the middle, then narrowed to apex, hinder margin not spinulose. 



By these characters a California species may readily be separated from 

 all our other Saprinus. The cpipleural fold is also tristriate, but this 

 character is difficult to appreciate, and is moreover uncertain in its exist- 

 ence. 



S. discoidalis, Lee. Ann. Lye. V., p. 167; Mars. Mon., 1835, p. 375, 

 pi. 16, fig. 25. 



Black with tinge of violet. Head sparsely and finely punctulate. 

 Thorax at sides coarsely and densely punctured, disc smooth and shining. 

 Elytra with the first dorsal entire, second, third, and fourth extending 

 slightly beyond the middle and gradually obsolete, the fourth at base 

 slightly arched, but not joining the sutural which is slightly abbreviated 

 at base, but extends to apex and thence along the edge of the elytron to 

 the marginal ; internal subhumeral not joining the humeral, external 

 subhumeral short, distinct at humerus only. Surface shining with an 

 opaque space, sparsely punctured, enclosed between the first and fourth 

 striae extending from base to apex, and narrowly along the apex to the 

 suture, enclosing a smooth space on the third and fourth interspaces one- 

 fifth from the base of the elytra ; discal space smooth, lateral region 

 shining, sparsely punctulate. Propygidium and pygidium finely and 

 rather densely punctured. Marginal stria of mesosternum entire, sur- 

 face smooth. Anterior tibia? multidenticulate, middle tibiae uniseriately 

 strongly spinulose, hind tibiie mutic. Length .16-. 26 inch ; 4-6.5 mm. 



Occurs in Owen's Valley and San Diego, California, and also in 

 Arizona. 



A. p. s. — vol. xiii. 2x 



