412 BULLETIN 63, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM. 



Surfaco vory smooth and shining, punctures very fine: legs slender: 

 elytra widest at middle (male) or widest behind the middle 



(female) var. estriuiu. 



Surface less shining, punctuation coarser; legs stouter: elytra widest 



at the middle (male) ; female unknown var. gentUtH. 



Elytra more or less striate; surface luster dull innocent. 



The above is the best table that I can devise at the present time. 

 More material is necessary to elucidate the difficulties, that are very 

 evident. 



ELEODES GIGANTEA Mannerheim. 



Eleodes gigantea Mannekheim, Bull. Soc. Nat. Moscow, XVI, 1843, p. 207; 



Mag. Zool., XIII, 1843,, pi. 127— LeConte, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. 



Phila., 1858, p. 181— Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, XIV, 1870, p. 312. 

 var. gentil'iH LeConte, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., 1858, p. 187. — Horn, 



Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, XIV, 1870, p. 311. 

 var. ('Striata Casey, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., V, Nov., 1890, p. 398. 



Strongly elongate, convex, smooth, and moderately shining. 



Head about twice as wide as long, moderately convex, often more 

 prominently so in the median line of the frons as far as the frontal 

 suture, not coarsely, somewhat sparsely and irregularly punctate, 

 the punctures becoming denser at the sides ; frons generally impressed 

 within the supra-antennal convexities, the impressions frequently 

 extending along the frontal suture; antennm rather stout, not reach- 

 ing to the base of the prothorax ; outer four joints very slightly com- 

 pressed, gradually and very feebly dilated, third joint slightly longer 

 than the next two taken together, fourth just perceptibly longer than 

 the fifth, joints 5-S, inclusive, subequal in length, the seventh and 

 eighth subtriangular, ninth suborbicular, tenth transversely oval, 

 eleventh subovate. 



ProHotum widest just in advance of the middle and about one-fifth 

 wider than long; <]i.sc strongly convex, arcuately declivous laterally, 

 finely, evenly, and rather sjiarsely punctulate, punctures becoming 

 slightly denser laterally ; apex truncate or very feebly emarginate in 

 circular arc, finely to obsoletely margined; sides evenly and ratlier 

 strongly arcuate in the anterior two-thirds, thence nearly straight aud 

 converging to the base, at times evenly and moderately arcuate 

 throughout, finely margined; Ixise very feebly arcuate, more strongly 

 margined, about one-fourth wider than the apex; ai)ical angles small, 

 subacute, and rarely slightly everted ; basal angles obtuse, not rounded 

 nor prominent. 



Pfopleuviv opaque, obsoletely or vei-y sparsely ])unctulate and rugu- 

 lose. 



Elytra elongate oval, usually Avidest at the middle; hase scarcely 

 emarginate and about as wide as the contiguous j^rothoracic base; 

 huTneri obtuse; sides evenly arcuate; a])ex feebly produced and nar- 

 lowly rounded; disc convex; suture frequently slightly impressed; 



