288 GEO. H. HORN, M. D. 



give some clue to a natural arrangement of the genera. This segment 

 is quite evident (nearly as much so as in Carpophilus) in Epuraea and 

 Thalycra^ and either feebly evident or wanting in the other genera, 

 but in Steliduta one species has it quite well developed, the other two 

 not. The dilatation of the tarsi does not seem a very good character 

 inasmuch as the dilatation is apt to vary with the sexes and might 

 mislead, but as synoptic tables are intended as helps rather than cer- 

 tain keys, the student must acquire by practical application an amount 

 of experience which will enable him to avoid the errors necessarily 

 arising from the too literal interpretation of the tables. 



EPtJRAEA Erichs. 



Labrum bilobed. Mandibles acute at tip with a small tooth pos- 

 teriorly. Antennae with abrupt three-jointed club; antennal grooves 

 feeble convergent. Elytra truncate or entire. Tarsi dilated on all 

 the feet, sometimes feebly on the posterior. 



Males with an additional anal segment, often with the middle and 

 posterior tibiae dilated at tip. 



Of all the genera this is probably the most troublesome in the 

 determination of the species, and their proper separation has cost 

 more time and labor than all the other genera together. All the 

 species described from our fauna have been seen by me with one 

 exception, this will be mentioned further on. 



Mr. E. Reitter (Verhandl. des naturforsch. Vereius, vol. xii, Briinn, 

 1874), gives synoptic tables of the species of this genus dividing them 

 primarily into European and exotic, a procedure not warranted in 

 nature as several species are found around the globe in the northern 

 regions. During the next year (loo. cit. vol. xiii, 1875), Mr. Reitter 

 divides Epuraea into a number of genera on some characters which 

 our series shows to be extremely feeble and untenable, these are : 



Omosijjhora, based on those species with the posterior coxae widely 

 separated, {riifa, helvola, etc.) This is a gradually evanescent char- 

 acter. Crotch in 1874, proposed the name Epuraeanella for these 

 species. Haptoncura is based on luteola and others with a supposed 

 larger labrum. 



Micruria including macrophthalma, based on species with the claws 

 toothed. This is the species mentioned above as unknown to me and 

 it seems to me doubtful as a member of our fauna, one of the species 

 included in the genus being European, the others from Japan and 

 Madagascar. This genus is probably a valid one but the species is 

 probably not from our fauna. 



