196 GEO. H. HORN, M. D. 



Male. — Anterior tarsi moderately dilated; last ventral segment with a broadly- 

 triangular emargination surrounded by a gutter extending somewhat forward. 



Female. — Anterior tarsi narrowly dilated ; last ventral entire. 



This species varies with the legs and coxa) brown. It resembles ?/m- 

 brinvs, but the latter has a larger head and more roughly sculptured 

 elytra and abdomen. 



In distribution it is cosmopolitan. From our own fauna I have seen 

 specimens from nearly every region except Arizona. 



P. discoidens Grav. — Piceous or brownish, limb of elytra paler, legs and 

 a,ntennEe testaceous; antennae shorter than the head and thorax, joints 6-10 nearly 

 square; head sub-quadrate % or orbicular 9> ^^^'^ angles sparsely punctate; 

 thorax very little longer than the head in the male, sub-quadrate, scarcely nar- 

 rowed in front, dorsal punctures large and deep, rather closely placed ; elytra very 

 little wider than the thorax, nearly square, rather closely not coarsely punctate; 

 surface slightly tinged with aeneous, sparsely pubescent; abdomen nearly as 

 coarsely but not as closely punctate as the elytra ; beneath a little more coarsely 

 punctured than above. Length .Ifi— .22 inch ; 4—5.5 mm. 



Male. — Anterior tarsi slightly dilated ; last ventral segment broadly but feebly 

 emarginate, surrounded by a slight triangular impression. 



Female.— Front tarsi scarcely at all dilated; last ventral entire. 

 Fauvel and Erichson call the anterior tarsi strongly dilated. From 

 species which have passed through the hands of the former in my cabinet 

 and that of Mr. Schwarz, the anterior tarsi have been found scarcely 

 more dilated in the male than in the females of some of the preceding 

 species. 



The coloration is variable, and from my observation the majority of 

 the specimens have elytra uniformly brown without sign of the pale side 

 margin and apex. 



In the Eastern Hemisphere the species occurs in all Europe and the 

 Circum-^lediterranean region. In our fauna it occurs everywhere in the 

 Atlantic region extending to Nevada and Arizona. 



P. tlterinaruin Aube. — Form slender, piceous or brownish, legs testaceous; 

 antennas as long as the head and thorax, piceous, three basal joints paler, joints 

 4-10 nearly square ; head sub-quadrangular, hind angles smooth; thorax not wider 

 than the head, longer than wide; sides parallel, dorsal punctures large, deep and 

 equidistant; elytra wider than the thorax, conjointly nearly square; surface shin- 

 inc, very sparsely and (.relativejyj coarsely punctate, with very little pubescence; 

 abdomen sparsely punctate, the punctures liner than those of the elytra; beneath 

 more distinctly punctured than above. Length .12 inch; 3 mm. 



TV/a/t.— Anterior tarsi broadly dilated; last ventral segment emarginate. 



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

 This species is the smallest in our fauna. 



'J'he distribution is widely extended, and seems to be in the entire 

 Northern Hemisphere. I know of but three specimens, all females, col- 

 lected in our fauna in Missouri and District of Columbia. 



