18 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.89 



4. ATAENIUS ABDITOIDES. new species 



? Ataenius exorattis Fleutiaux and Salle, 1889, Ann. Soc. Ent. France, ser. 6, 



vol. 9, p. 397. 

 ? Ataetiius polyglyptus var. jalapensis Arrow, 1903, Trans. Ent. Soc. London, p. 



513 (not Bates). 



Piceous-black, apices of tibiae, tar.si, and trophi paler. Anterior 

 margin of head moderately strongly denticulate each side of shallow 

 median emargination. Front rather densely set with elongate oblong 

 punctures except for the median area adjacent to the emargination 

 where the surface is coarsely granulate; vertex densely set with coarse 

 round punctures. Pronotum broadly and evenly rounded from cen- 

 ter point on base to point above eye, marginal setae inconspicuous, mar- 

 ginal groove entire but fine. Surface densely, evenly, and coarsely 

 punctured. Elytral striae not coarse, strial punctures well defined, 

 intervals flat on disk becoming subacutely carinate near apex, each 

 with a single row of moderately coarse punctures, surface strongly 

 alutaceous. Lateral margin .subacutely cariniform, epipleura opaque. 

 Pygidial carina with a well-defined median cusp. Mesosternum and 

 lateral portions of metasternum shagreened, median area of latter 

 strongly shining, coarsely and rather densely punctured. Median 

 groove deep, abruptly terminated behind. Abdominal sternites with 

 punctures similar to those on the median area of metasternum. Trans- 

 verse basal rows of pits poorly defined. Anterior femur with peri- 

 marginal groove, the surface roughly sculptured but without clearly 

 defined punctures. Posterior femur with short marginal line near 

 insertion of tibia, surface shining, sparsely set with well-defined punc- 

 tures ; posterior tibia without accessory spine. Length : 4 mm. 



Type and paratypes.—U.S.'NM. No. 53321. 



Type locality. — St. Lucia, British Wcist Indies. 



Material examined. — Six specimens from St. Lucia, three of which 

 were taken under trash on bank of Milette River near junction with 

 Roseau River, April 3, 1936 (Blackwelder station 211) and three from 

 nearby on the Roseau River, April 1936 (Blackwelder station 209). 

 One specimen from St. Vincent, 6 miles north of Kingstown, Feb- 

 ruary 15, 1936 (Blackwelder station 176), and two from Tacarigua, 

 Trinidad, December 22, 1935 (Blackwelder station 107). 



The identity of A. exwatus Fleutiaux and Salle with this species 

 is far from certain. The .short description of exor^atus is not suf- 

 ficient to separate ahditoides from suhopacus^ described later in this 

 paper. It is probable that one or the other should be called exoratus. 

 It may also be the species recorded from Grenada and St. Vincent 

 by Arrow (1903) as A. polyglyptus var. jalapensis Bates. The writer 

 ha,s been able to examine a specimen of this last from the British 

 Museum and finds it to be the same as A. dbditus Haldeman. The 

 sculpture of the heads of these two species is quite different. 



