182 GEO. H. HORN, M. D. 



ilfa^e.— Anterior tarsi rather widely dilated, last ventral segment triangularly 

 emarginate, with a slight gutter surrounding the emargination. 



Female. — Anterior tarsi slightly dilated, last ventral entire. 



Two varieties of this species occur, which do not seem limited to any 

 locality : 



Furvus Erich. — In this form the sides of the elytra are pale. Occurs 

 from Newfoundland to Vancouver, thence south to Arizona and Mexico. 



Califormcns Mann. — Elytra black or piceous. This variety does not 

 extend its habitat so far east as the preceding, coming east as far as Lake 

 Superior only. It is the common form in California. 



This species and aeneus resemble aach other very closely, and are best 

 distinguished by the form of the basal line of the dorsal abdominal seg- 

 ments. In the present species the lines are quite straight without the 

 angular bend at the middle. 



Occurs from Newfoundland to Vancouver, and thence southward to 

 Mexico. I have never seen specimens from the eastern United States. 



P. sericiilUS n. sp. — Form rather slender, piceous; elytra very distinctly 

 aeneous ; antenuse piceous, as long as the liead and thorax, the outer joints nearly 

 as wide as long; head quadrate oval, a very few punctures behind the eyes, some- 

 what larger in the male; thorax broadly oval, very slightly narrower in front 

 dorsal punctures deep; surface shining, slightly bronzed and with a peculiar lustre 

 along the basal margin and hind angles; elytra very little wider than the thorax, 

 a little longer than wide conjointly, moderately shining, usually very distinctly 

 'aeneous, densely punctate sparsely pubescent; abdomen distinctly iridescent, 

 punctures moderately dense along the basal margins of the segments, coarser and 

 sparser at apex, beneath as above ; legs piceous. Length .44 inch ; 11 mm. 



Male. — Anterior tarsi narrowly dilated, last ventral segment with a triangular 

 emargination bordered by a narrow depressed margin. 



Female. — Anterior tarsi very narrowly dilated, last ventral entire. 

 This species might readily be mistaken for a slender form of aeneits. 

 It may, however, be known from that species by the more narrowly di- 

 lated tarsi of the male, and by the transverse line of the dorsal segments 

 being straight as in fvrvus. 



The peculiar lustre at the base of the thorax when viewed in certain 

 lights, is the result of the sculpture of the surface. Under high power 

 the surface will be found obliquely grooved by very fine lines in aeneus, 

 and furvus the lines are very much finer, and are transverse in place of 

 oblique in the present species. 



This species is not very common, although I have seen specimens from 

 Canada, Penna. and Texas. 



P. nitesceiis n. sp. — Form moderately robust, very black and shining; an- 

 tennte as long as the head and thorax, black, joints 8-1 as wide as long ; head very 

 black and shining, quadrate, not large, a few punctures behind the eyes ; thorax 



