322 SPECIES OF coELUs (coleoptera; tenebrionidae) 



Remotus is the only described form not at hand for study and 

 Fall's description has been repeated. Type region, San Clemente 

 Island, collected on June 3rd. The marginal fringe here is longer 

 than in pacificus but thinner than usual. Fall's remarks are 

 interesting: "Both the above species {pacificus and remotus) 

 were found under rubbish at a distance from the shore and have 

 notably the habits of Coniontis and Coelotaxis rather than of the 

 other members of the genus. This might indeed be safely in- 

 ferred from the less developed marginal hairs and lack of elytral 

 asperities which have an undoubted connection with the habits 

 possessed by the mainland species of burrowing, or rather, as 

 seems to me more likely, the burrowing habit is of recent develop- 

 ment and the island species are the remaining representatives of an 

 earlier type. " It might be added here that Mr. Van Duzee took 

 his specimens of pacificus from Santa Cruz Island on the flat sand 

 areas immediately above high water mark, while those from San 

 Miguel Island were taken on the ancient sand dunes from high 

 water line up to 300 feet elevation. They were all dug from sand 

 about the roots of plants, as are ciliatus and other mainland forms. 



It has been observed in the mainland forms which occur inland 

 somewhat beyond the sand dunes, where the land is overgrown 

 with plants of the perennial lupines and Baccharis pilularis D. C.,^ 

 that the elytral sculpturing is much less developed, as in dehilis 

 Casey. In many specimens of the latter the elytra are scarcely 

 asperate. This was especially noticed and studied in the series 

 taken at Tomales Bay. 



Typical ciliatus is found right up to the sea beach and offers 

 much variation in elytral sculpture. It looks doubtful whether 

 simple elytral punctures and less developed lateral fimbriae should 

 be considered as characters of subgeneric value. As a matter of 

 fact most of the specimens of pacificus studied have the elytra as 

 asperately sculptured as do many examples of ciliatus and partic- 

 ularly of debilis Casey, as mentioned above. There is no good 

 reason for the grade of Pseudocoelus unless it be because of its 

 insular habitat. In ciliatus the fringe of erect fulvous hairs and 

 those on the legs are particularly well developed, but less so in 

 globosus and arenarius, including dehilis. The antennal club is 



1 A dioecious composite shrub on the coast hills that is low and spreading, 

 forming a more or less dense mat under which many species of insects find a 

 hiding place. 



