WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 25 



12. ATAENIUS GRACILIS (Melsheimer) 



Oxyomus {Plcuropliorus) gracilis Melsheimeb, 1844, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila- 

 delphia, new ser., vol. 2, p. 137. 



Psammodius gracilis Du Val, 1857, in de la Sagra, Historia fisica, poUtica y 

 natural de la isla de Cuba, vol. 7, p. 119. 



Ataenius gracilis Gemmingeb aud Harold, 1869, Catalogus coleopterorum, vol. 

 4, p. 1066.— HoEN, 1871, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, vol. 3, p. 286 ; 1887, loc. cit., 

 vol. 14, p. 79. — Bates, 1887, Biologla Centrali-Americana, Coleoptera, vol. 2, 

 pt. 2, p. 99. — Schmidt, 1922, Das Tierreich, pars 45, Aphodiinae, p. 436. 



Aphodius chilensis Soliee, 1851, in Gay, Historia flsica y politica de Chile, Zool., 

 vol. 5, p. 72, pt. 16, fig. 1 (teste Schmidt, 1922). 



Piceous-black, somewhat shining, legs castaneous, antennae and 

 trophi pale. Anterior margin of head broadly rounded each side of 

 the very shallow median emargination, front rather coarsely and 

 densely punctured, the punctures tending to form longitudinal rows 

 on upper part and becoming finer and sparser near margin, vertex 

 coarsely and cribrately punctured. Pronotum with marginal setae 

 apparently absent, marginal gi'oove entire, and with a short shallow 

 median longitudinal groove at base. Surface rather coarsely, evenly 

 but not densely punctured, the punctures finer toward anterior margin. 

 Elytral striae moderate, strial punctures large, intervals convex, the 

 first (sutural) interval with a close set series of rather coarse punc- 

 tures, other intervals more finely and less regularly punctured. Lateral 

 margin subcarinate, epipleura somewhat shining. Pygidial carina 

 with a feeble median cusp, extreme apical portion tumid, surface 

 suboi^aque. Metasternum with median portion shining, median 

 groove broad and deep, not abruptly terminated anteriorly, each side 

 along base with a deep, oblique antecoxal groove, surface coarsely and 

 sparsely punctured. Abdominal sternites with punctation similar to 

 that of metasternum, basal transverse rows of pits feebly defined. 

 Anterior femur with perimarginal groove, surface sparsely and 

 rather coarsely punctured, posterior femur with short groove on 

 posterior margin near insertion of tibia, surface finely and very 

 sparsely punctured ; posterior tibia without accessory spine. Length : 

 3-3.5 mm. 



Type. — Probably in Museum of Comparative Zoology. 



Type locality. — Pennsylvania, U. S. A. 



Material examined. — In addition to many hundred specimens from 

 Pennsylvania and other localities on continental America, 151 speci- 

 mens have been studied from the following islands: Cuba, Jamaica, 

 Hispaniola, Puerto Kico, Vieques, St. Croix, St. Kitts, Barbados, and 

 St. Vincent. Arrow, 1903, reports this species from Grenada also. 



