216 BULLETIN 63, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Habitat. — New Mexico (Santa Fe, Hubbard and Schwarz; Cool- 

 idge, Coll. E. C. Van Dyke; Aztec, April Coll. C. F. Baker; High- 

 rolls, June 11) ; Colorado (southern, George Horn) ; Texas (Marfa, 

 elevation 4,600-4,800 feet, and at Alpine, July, 4,400-0,000 feet, 

 H. F. Wickham) ; Arizona (M. L. Linell). 



Number of specimens studied, 20. 



Type in the LeConte collection. 



Tyfe-locality. — New Mexico; collected by Mr. Fendler. 



Salient tyije-eharacters. — Thorax a little convex and somewhat 

 rounded, sparsely j^unctate, anteriorly broadly emarginate, apical 

 angles subacuminate ; sides rounded; base subrotundate with the 

 angles subrectangular. Elytra at apex obtusely acuminate; disc 

 punctato-striate, laterally and at apex muricate, intervals sparsely 

 uniseriately punctate (LeConte). 



Diagnostic characters. — Sponsa is to be separated from hispilahris 

 by the elj^tra being feehly svhstnate and with the intervals flat, rarely 

 feebly convex aud rather coarsel^^ muricately punctate. In some 

 specimens the interstitial punctures are in slightly larger dents and 

 tlie sculpturing is not at all muricate but smooth. The thorax is 

 usually less rounded on the sides and nearly quadrate, but there is 

 considerable variation. 



The elytral sculpturing sometimes resembles specimens of Mspil- 

 ahris wdiich have the intervals scarcely convex. In a complete series 

 the transition from the one species to the other is evident. In sponsa 

 the elytral disc is usually flattened. LeConte mentioned a specimen 

 collected in New Mexico tliat had the elytra not at all muricate. 



The mentum is variable. In size it may be comparatively large or 

 small, varying in outline from parabolo-trapezoidal, trapezoidal to 

 trapezoido-triangular, rarely the apex is subacute; surface coarsely 

 punctate to almost impunctate, evenly convex or more or less foveate 

 laterally. 



The prosternum and mesosternum as in Mspilahris ; the latter is 

 sometimes quite vertical and deeply concave at middle. 



The abdominal process is about as wide as the third segment is 

 long, the post-coxal part of the first is shorter than the second seg- 

 ment, and the latter is twice as long as the fourth ; the third is about 

 one-fourth of its length shorter than the second. 



The abdominal salient is but slightly wider than the metasternal 

 process. 



The metasternum laterally between the coxa' is scarcely as long as 

 the width of a mesofenuu" at base. 



The tibia? and femora are about the sauie as in hispiJahris. 



The articular cavities of the tibiiv are very narrowly open as a 

 rule or closed. 



