AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 150 



Notes on the ZOPHERI of the United States. 

 BY GEO. H. irURX, M. D. 



The occurrence of several new species of the genus Z(>])heruii Ims 

 suggested the propriety of bringing into one paper the descriptions of 

 the other species known from the western parts of our territory. 



The form of these insects is so well known as hardly to need any 

 general description, and so peculiar as to enable them to be distin- 

 guished from any other Tenebrionidae. They are all of moderate or 

 even of large size, elongate, convex, and furnished with a tegument so 

 hard, as to be with difficulty perforated by the ordinary cabinet pin. 



The species from Mexico are whitish above, with elevated subopaque 

 black spots, varying in size according to the species. Those from our 

 own country, (excepting nodulosus), are all black, and readily distin- 

 guished by the sculpture of the elytra. The last ventral segment is 

 also ornamented with tubercles, though not varying sufficiently among 

 the several specie.s as to be of any value in indicating specific differ- 

 ences. This same style of ornamentation obtains in all the Zopherini, 

 and disappears almost entirely in the next group, Usechini. With 

 one exception {Juurdanu Salle) all the bicolored species have the 

 apices of the elytra quadrituberculate, the black species are bitubercu- 

 late. The apices of the elytra in all the species have a deep groove on 

 each side, making the suture appear elevated, and bounding the tuber- 

 cle on the inner side. 



ZOPHERTJS, Gray. 



Z. nodulosns, elongate, convex. Head black, subopaque, finely and sparsely 

 punctured, and with a triangular, white occipital spot. Thorax convex, nearly 

 as broad as long, anteriorly emarginate, with the angles rounded, posteriorly 

 subtruncate, sides anteriorly scarcely sinuate, posteriorly sinuate and crenu- 

 late, much narrower behind than before; above white, with a central black 

 stripe much narrower at its middle, and with a few lateral black spots sparsely 

 jilaeed. Elytra elliptical, convex, sides moderately rounded, base slightly 

 emarginate, with the angles distinct; above white, with elevated, smooth, 

 black spots, arranged as follows ; — a sutural row of spots not distinct from eacli 

 other, a subsutural row of four or five larger spots, two central rows of four or 

 five spots each, and a marginal row, a few very small black spots in rows repre- 

 senting the strise, of which the rows of larger spots mark the interspaces. Aj)ex 

 four-tuberculate. Legs black. Beneath black, coarsely punctured, with the 

 side pieces of the metathorax and the sides of the second and third abdominal 

 f^cgments white. Length .80—1.10 inch. 



.•^oMuif, Ann. Ent. Soc. France, V, 42. 



