AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 



209 



16.— Punctures of elytra more or less irregular, striee visible at sides and behind, 



sometimes regular over nearly the whole surface •••17. 



Punctures of prothorax and elytra uniform, two stria visible at the sides; 

 upper surface dull ochreous clouded with brown : prosternura flat, rect- 

 angularlv truncate; punctatas Hald. ; 2-3 mm.; Atlantic and Pacific 



regions.." 27. liepaticus Mels. 



17.— Red and black y'^^' 



Yellow, brown or black, mottled, sometimes entirely black, sometimes 



entirely yellow.* 

 18.— Black, opake, prothorax with sides and dorsal spots red, densely punc- 

 tured, basal angles almost rounded; elytra with sinuous deep stria at 

 the sides and behind, confusedly punctured in front, with a broad irregu- 

 lar band from the side almost to the suture; % J; 2.7-3.5 mm.; Middlo 



States 28. subfiisciatus. 



Very similar to subfasciatus, but hrosider ; elytra with broader transverse 

 band, prothorax with sides red; ?; 2.7—3.5 mm.; Lake Sup., N. Y. 



29. dilatatiis Suffr. 



The names of the indefluite forms which are not tabulated are 

 as follows : 



P. atomarius Mels., Pr. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. iii, 170. 



P. caelatus Lee., ibid. 1S58, 84. 



P. characteristicus Suff., Linn. Ent. vii, 176. 



P. sparsus Xewm., Entom. 79. 



P. flavicornis Mels., Pr. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. iii, 172. 



P. infaustus Hald., Jouru. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. 2d, i, 262. 



P. livens Lee, Pr. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. 1858, 54. 



P. luctuosus Suffr.. Linn. Ent. xii,401. 



P. melanostictus Suffr., ibid, vii, 191 ; xii, 403. 



P. nigricornis Say, Journ. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. iii, 436. 



P. obsoletus Suffr., Linn. Ent. vii, 200. 



P. oculatus Suffr.. ibid, vii, 178. 



P. pallidipennis Suffr., ibid, xii, 406. 



P. peccans Suffr., ibid, vii, 192. 



P. pectoralis Mels., Pr. Ac. Nat. So. Phila. iii, 171. 



P. picturatus Germ., Ins. Nov. 560; Suffr., Linn. Ent. vii, 209; M-nigrum 

 Mels., Pr. A(!. Nat. Sc. Phila. iii, 170; (viduatus var.?). 



P. pulvinatus Suffr., Linn. Ent. vii, 151. 



P. signatifrons Mann., Bull. Mosc. 1843, ii, 311 ; Suffr., loc. cit. vii, 167. 



P. sobrinus Hald., Journ. Ac. Nat. Sc. Phila. 2d, i, 262; pectoralis t SnSr., 

 Linn. Ent. vii, 187. 



P. spumarius Suffr., loc. cit. vii, 179. 



« These forms vary in color, size, shape and sculpture, but so imperceptibly, 

 that I am unwilliug to attempt any separation of the species. Those mentioned 

 in the books are numerous, but seem to be in great part opinionative. The 

 prosternum is broad, and but very slightly concave, and by this character they 

 may be separated from such of the preceding species as tend to resemble them 

 by irregularity of markings. Careful observation of habits and food-plants, 

 and the collection of larger series in each locality are still necessary in this 

 group of forms. 



TRANS. AMER. ENT. SOC. VIII. (27) Jl^LY, 1880. 



