AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 73 



A Synopsis of the MORDKLLIDE of the United States. 



BY JOHN B. SMITH. 



The following synopsis of the genera and species is based principally 

 upon Dr. LeConte's synopsis in Pr. Ac. N. 8c. Phila. xiv, pp. 43-51. 

 The arrangement there proposed has been retained, and besides adding 

 subsequently described and several new species little change has been 

 found necessary ; a few of the species there described are referred 

 as synonyms or varieties, but otherwise matters have been left pretty 

 much as they were. In preparing the synopsis I have been aided by 

 Drs. LeConte and Horn of Phila., and by Prof. Schaupp of Brooklyn. 

 Dr. Horn granted me the rare favor of allowing me to take his entire 

 collection of this family for the purposes of study and description, 

 while Dr. LeConte placed his types and all his undetermined material 

 at my disposal. 



The insects comprising this family are distinguished by the usually 

 small size, depressed or transversely flattened form, enlarged coxae and 

 femora, the transverse striatum in the Anaspini, and the anal style in 

 the Morbellini. They are usually clothed with fine sericeous pubes- 

 cence and often handsomely variegated. 



A few words may be said of the structural characters used in sepa- 

 rating genera and species in this family. One of the most important of 

 these characters are the ridges on the tibia and tarsi in the Mordellini ; 

 these ridges vary in distinctness, direction, length and number ; and by 

 them species which superficial examination would pronounce identical, 

 can be readily distinguished. As a means of separating species this 

 character is excellent, as a generic distinction its value is doubtful ; and 

 yet Glipodes and Mordellistena are separated principally by the number 

 and direction of these ridges; principally 1 say, but not entirely, else I 

 should have discarded Glipodes; what led me to retain the genus is the 

 peculiarity of the maxillary palpi of the % of G. sericans. 'I he % of 

 helva has either not yet been found or the peculiarity docs not exist in it ; 

 should the latter prove the case, then Glipodes must fall ; until the £ of 

 helva is discovered it would be rather a hasty course to discard the 

 genus, unless meanwhile some other species are discovered which will 

 bridge the gap. This I consider more than probable when the southern 

 and western portions of the United States have been thoroughly collected 

 over. It is a matter of regret that common as arc the species on flowers, 

 larger collections of this falnily are not made, and yet a fact it is, that in 



TRANS. AMUIi. ENT. SOC. X. (1U) s .11 IV, 1882. 



