32 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. 89- 



broad and moderately long. Metasternum polished, very finely and 

 very sparsely punctured, median groove not abruptly terminated an- 

 teriorly. On each side of median line and just behind the middle 

 coxae there is a cluster of two or more very coarse punctures. Ab- 

 dominal sternites coarsely punctured, the punctures somewhat finer 

 and sparser at the middle. Transverse basal rows of pits quite poorly 

 defined. Anterior femur beneath with deep perimarginal groove, the 

 surface densely and rather coarsely punctured. Posterior femur with 

 groove on hind margin reaching from tibial joint two-thirds (male) 

 or half (female) distance to trochanter; posterior tibia with accessory 

 spine. Length : 4.5-6 mm. 



Type. — In the British Museum. 



Type locality. — Cordoba, [Veracruz] Mexico (restricted here). 



Material examined. — Eighty-four specimens from the West Indian 

 Islands, in addition to many specimens from Florida, Mexico, Hon- 

 duras, Panama, Canal Zone, Bolivia, and Argentina. Based on 

 specimens before the writer the species is known to occur on the fol- 

 lowing islands: Cuba, Bahamas, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, 

 St. Croix, Guadeloupe, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Vincent, 

 and Trinidad. Arrow (1903) reports it also from Grenada and 

 Becquia Island. 



The degree of alutaceousness of the elytral intervals and the 

 strength of the punctures on the head appear to be variable without 

 reference to geography. Further, each of the two characters varies 

 without reference to the other. The small patch of coarse punctures 

 on each side of the metasternum seems to be the surest differential to 

 separate this species from the other large Ataemus. 



20. ATAENIUS FRATER Arrow 



Ataenius frater Aeeow, 1903, Trans. Ent. Soc. London, p. 512. 



Piceous-black, shining, appendages paler. Anterior margin of 

 head strongly rounded on each side of the median emargination^ 

 front densely punctured, the punctures very fine toward the margin 

 at middle, gradually becoming coarser posteriorly and laterally, ver- 

 tex narrowly impunctate. Pronotum with marginal setae very short 

 and inconspicuous, most evident just before the scutellum, submar- 

 ginal groove narrow across base, widening toward anterior angles. 

 Surface polished, punctures coarse and quite dense at sides, rather fine 

 and sparse on disk. Elytral intervals flat, becoming subconvex 

 apically. Basally the intervals are smooth and polished with fine 

 and sparse punctures on disk and coarser and denser punctures lat- 

 erally. Apically the polished portion of each interval becomes grad- 

 ually narrower until at the extreme apex the intervals are strongly 

 alutaceous with median rows of microscopic polished raised points. 



