AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 1 19 



wider posteriorly, disc slightly convex, median line distinct but not entire, sub- 

 apical line obsolete, surface very sparsely punetulate at middle, slightly wrinkled 

 at the sides, more distinctly punetulate at base and apex. Elytra oblong-oval, 

 finely striate, deeper at base, the striae not distinctly punctured, intervals convex 

 in the basal region, then very flat to the apex, the surface not distinctly punctured. 

 Body beneath piceous, smooth. Legs piceous. Length .44 inch; 11 mm. 



Male. — Sexual characters as in sulcipennis. 



This species resembles punctigera but has a narrower thoracic margin 

 and with differently sculptured elytra. In the latter respect it resembles 

 basipunctata Chd., which however seems to have a thorax more nearly 

 like our Plochionus. 



One specimen from the Peninsula of California, collected by the late 

 W. M. Gabb. 



<VHI\I»IS Latr. 



This genus originally indicated by Latreille was made by that author, 

 and many who have followed him, a magazine for very dissimilar 

 material, The dismemberment began with Castelnian in 1832, and has 

 been continued by Schaum, LeConte and Chaudoir, Pinacodera and 

 Apenes. being the result in our fauna. At the time of Chaudoir's 

 "Monographic Essay," (Berl. Zeits. 1873), eighty-eight species were 

 known, of which fourteen belong to our fauna. This latter number 

 must be reduced to ten and from the character of the differences given 

 in the descriptions it seems probable that a proportionate reduction should 

 be made in the exotic species. 



Our species make a very homogeneous aggregate, no one being in 

 any way aberrant. All agree in being apterous and are consecpuently 

 terrestrial in their habits. I am not aware of the existence of any 

 forms among the exotics with wings, this character being entirely over- 

 looked. Apenes and Pinacodera have well developed wings and as far 

 as our fauna is concerned we have this as an additional character sepa- 

 rating them from Cymindis. 



In our fauna all the species are more or less hairy above, but 

 exotic forms, about twenty-five in number, are entirely glabrous, these 

 are mostly European. 



The mode of pectination of the tarsal claws is quite constant, varying 

 very slightly in the greater or less length of the teeth. The tarsal joints 

 are always hairy above, the fourth joint slightly emarginate. 



The species known in our fauna are not numerous but are with 

 difficulty separable in tabular form. The following table will assist 

 the student but must not be too strictly interpreted without reference 

 to the descriptions. 



(38) 



