350 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. qs 



Genus MICRACISELLA Blackman 



Micracisella Blackman, New York State Coll. Forestry Teclm. Publ. 25, pp. 



192, 196-197, 192S. 

 Pseudomicracis Blackman (not Eggers), Mississippi Agr. Exp. Stat. Techn. 



Bull. 9, p. 20, 1920. 



Genotype. — Micracis nanula LeConte. 



In 1920 the writer recognized that the species Micracis nanula 

 LeConte and M. opacicollis LeConte differed from M. suturalis Le- 

 Conte and its allies in several important particulars. He there- 

 fore separated it under the subgeneric name Pseudomicracis. Later 

 it was found that Eggers earlier in the year had used this same name 

 as the generic designation of a group of African scolytids. There- 

 fore, in 1928 the new name Mieracisella Blackman was substituted for 

 Pseudomicracis Blackman. It is now considered that the differences 

 between the suturalis and nanula groups are so important as to neces- 

 sitate the raising of Micracisella to full generic rank. 



Generic description. — Body cylindrical, with ends of elytra ex- 

 tended into an acuminate apex as in Micracis; color reddish brown 

 to black, with fine hairs and spatulate bristles or scales; antenna 

 with scape flattened and somewhat extended laterally, with long 

 hairs in female, club-shaped in male (as in Hylocurus), funicle 6- 

 segmented ; club shorter than in Micracis; eye very large, contiguous 

 or narrowly separated in gular region, inner line emarginate, facets 

 coarse; fore tibia slightly wider distally, with outer margin nearly 

 straight, inner margin sinuate; submarginal, socketed teeth usually 

 five in number, with one or two on outer margin, terminal mucro 

 rather slender, curved. 



Other species of Micracisella are Micracis opacicollis LeConte 

 (synonym Micracis aspeimlus LeConte), Micracis opacithorax Schedl 

 from Mexico, and subnitida, new species, here described. 



MICRACISELLA SUBNITIDA, new species 



Plate 29, Figures 7, 8 



Male. — Dark reddish brown, with anterior half of pronotum and 

 elytral declivity lighter; 1.83 mm. long, 3.14 times as long as wide; 

 allied to opacicollis (LeConte) and nanula (LeConte). 



Frons convex above, subopaque, finely granulate-punctate above 

 and at sides, with rather sparse, flattened, scalelike hairs; median 

 area below impressed, shining, with only a few very fine punctures; 

 epistomal hairs slender, directed orad. Eye large, long oval, nar- 

 rowly separated below, iniu>r line emarginate, facets rather coarse. 

 Antenna (pi. 29, fig. 7) with scape club-shaped, with only a few long 

 hairs, slightly shorter than club, distinctly shorter than funicle; 

 club ovate, 1.27 times as long as wide, with arcuate sutures. 



