FALL AND COCKKRELL. 241 



in abruptus. The style of coloration is the same, but the median 

 pale fascia is here very broad, occupying the middle third or even 

 more of the elytra, and not interrupted at suture. In abruptus the 

 median pale fascia is much narrower, always much more so than the 

 length of the elytra either before or behind it, and always interrup 

 ted by the suture, the two portions more or less lunate in form. The 

 head, prothorax and pale elytral areas are of a rather bright coral- 

 red tint, the under surface and legs black, tarsi more or less pale. 

 In typical abruptus the thorax is pale, but in by far the greater 

 number of specimens in collections the head and thorax are black. 



Specimens in my collection are from Kansas; Boulder, Colovado 

 (Cockerell); and various points in New Mexico (Santa Fe, type; 

 Las Vegas, Organ Mts. ; Las Truchas). 



SCARABJEID^. 



Psammodius ambiguiis n. sp.— Oblong, slightly oval, head and pro- 

 thorax reddisli-brown, elytra yellow, suture very narrowly darker; beneath 

 rufotestaceous, legs a little paler. Head coarsely but vaguely and rather irregu- 

 larly punctate, not evidently verrucosa; vertex with faint transverse elevated 

 line which is a little more prominent at middle and extremities; gense not very 

 prominent, obtuse; clypeus deeply rather narrowly emarginate, sides rounded. 

 Prothorax moderately transverse, sides fimbriate; apex but little narrower than 

 base, sides evenly rounded, hind angles undefined, base broadly rounded, not at 

 all sinuate, basal marginal line well marked. Punctuation uneven in size and 

 distribution, fine and sparse at middle, a little closer laterally with larger i)unc- 

 tures intermixed, nearly smooth about the hind angles. Elytra a little wider 

 than and two and two-fifth times as long as the prothorax, about one-third longer 

 than wide, sides nearly parallel, yellowish-testaceous without markings, striae 

 finely and rather closely punctate, intervals feebly convex, very sparsely and 

 finely punctulate. Under surface finely alutaceous, and sparsely finely punc- 

 tate; mesosternum not carinate between the middle coxse. Legs stout, hind 

 femora fully two-thirds as wide as long, all nearly smooth. Front tibige smooth, 

 strongly tridentate, spur long, slender and slightly curved ; middle and hind 

 tibiie stout, subtriangular, the posterior stouter, each with two oblique ridges ex- 

 ternally ; spurs of middle tibiae very long, not very unequal, the longer nearly 

 equal in length to the first three tarsal joints; spurs of hind tibise shorter, 

 scarcelj- as long as the two basal joints, the upper spur a little longer and dis- 

 tinctly curved. Tarsi rather stout and short, first three joints subtriangular, the 

 basal one as long as the two following; claws slender, about two-thirds as long 

 as the fifth joint. Length 3.3 mm. 



El Paso, Texas. A single example collected by the writer. I 

 am by no means certain that this species is really a Fsammodius, 

 though the small size, fimbriate thorax and rather stout tarsi would 

 so indicate. It departs from all our known .species of this genus in 



TR.^NS. AM. ENT. SOC. XXXIII. (31) JULY, 1907. 



