2 PKOCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL. MUSEUM vol.75 



Col. T. Lincoln Casey in his review of the Tentyriinae^ improved 

 matters, but failed to completely determine the character of the eyes in 

 Usechus lacerta Motschulsky and nucleatus Casey, no doubt on account 

 of the head of the insects being almost invariably deeply retracted 

 into the prothorax. Even with a good series no attempt was made 

 to extend the head to determine such an important character. Casey 

 differs from Horn regarding the character of the epipleurae, saying 

 that the elytra are without true epipleurae (p. 482 of the above 

 paper). The present writer agrees with Horn in considering that 

 true epipleurae are present and moderately well defined from the 

 elytral disk. 



Horn's definition of the family Tenebrionidae has to be modified 

 so as to read: "Anterior coxal cavities usually closed behind, occasion- 

 ally more or less open.^' According to his views it might be debatable 

 as to whether or not the Usechini should be retained in the 

 Tenebrionidae. He opposed the European entomologists in retaining 

 Boros and Pytho, and others in the present family on account of the 

 fact that they have the anterior coxal cavities open behind. It is 

 my opinion that radical changes will have to be made in some parts 

 of the Tenebrionidae when a more critical survey has been made of 

 the genera and species. There is an urgent need for the study of the 

 genitalia of the entire family. 



In the classification the family Tenebrionidae is divided into three 

 subfamilies, namely, Tentyriinae, Asidinae, and Tenebrioninae. In 

 the Leng Catalogue it is divided into 22 subfamilies, the Asidinae 

 (Asidini) being given as a tribe in the Tentyriinae. In the sequence 

 of tribes the Usechini follows after the Nosodermini.. 



Tribe USECHINI 



Body apterous, surface roughly sculptured ; mandibles bifid at tip ; 

 mentum relatively large, rounded at apex, not conceahng the ligula 

 or base of the maxillae; submentum with a spiculiferous puncture 

 (male) at middle near base of mentum; antennae 11-jointed, outer 3 !j 

 joints forming a club. Antennal fossae marginal and superior, ,j 

 invisible from beneath; eyes not convex, transverse and coarsely 

 faceted. Anterior and middle coxae rather widely separated by the 

 sterna ; anterior coxae more or less open behind ; middle coxal cavities ' 

 inclosed by the sterna without trochantin; posterior coxae small, 

 oval, distant; metasternum short, epimera linear ; epipleurae entire,-, 

 more or less moderately defined from the elytral disk, wide at base] 

 beneath the humeri. Legs short, tibiae with or without spurs; tarsii 

 without plantar grooves beneath and sparsely clothed with hairs. 



iProc. Washington Acad. Sci., vol. 9, 1907 pp. 481-484. 



