AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 75 



P. OCcidentalis Linu., Syst. Nat. ii, p. 555; Oliv. Ent. i, 5, p. 14; pi. 1, 

 fig. 7; Burm. Handb. iv, 2, p. 408; Lee. loc. cit. — Clypeus truncate or slightly 

 arcuate in front, the angles obtuse % or rounded 9 • Head sparsely clothed with 

 recumbent scale-like hairs. Thorax with median sulcus feeble, surface sparsely 

 pubescent with the vittse scarcely more distinct. Elytra sparsely clothed with 

 recumbent pubescence, with the suture and three nearly entire (but feebly marked) 

 vittse more densely clothed, subhumeral short line absent. Pygidium pubescent 

 and with rather long erect hairs. Body beneath with moderately long hairs, 

 abdomen sparsely pubescent. Length .88 — 1.00 inch; 22 — 25 mm. 



Male. — Sexual characters as in decemlineata, with the spine on the outer side of 

 the middle and posterior tibife very feeble. 



Female. — As in deceynlineata except that there is but one short oblique ridge 

 on the middle and posterior tibise, and the anterior tibiee are bidentate as in 

 the male. 



Thi.s species is the only one in wliicli the anterior tibia? are known 

 to be similarly dentate in the two sexes. 



Occurs near the sea coast in the Southern States, my specimens are 

 from near Wilmington, N. C. The females are said to be more abundant 

 than the males, a fact at variance with the usual habit of the genus. 



P. variolosa Hentz, Trans. Am. Philos. Soc. iii, p. 256, pi. 2, fig. 5 ; Lee. 

 loc. cit. p. '2?,\. — Clypeus arcuate or subtruncate, angles rounded. Head sparsely 

 clothed with short erect hair. Thorax sparsely punctate and with few recumbent 

 hairs forming a denser vitta in the deep median sulcus and indistinct vittfe at the 

 sides. Elj'tra sparsely clothed with scale-like hairs denser along the suture and 

 forming irregular patches in place of the vittse of the preceding species. Pygidium 

 sparsely pubescent. Body beneath with long hairs, abdomen sparsely and finely 

 pubescent. Length .84 — .90 inch; 21 — 23 mm. 



Male. — Sexual characlers of occidentalis. 



Female. — Sexual characters of decemlineata. 



It will be observed that the females of all the species of this genus 

 have a shorter clypeus than the male, but in this species the differ- 

 ence is more especially marked. The hind tibiae are also broader in 

 the females. , 



Occurs near the sea coast from Massachusetts to New Jersey.' 



P. $;racilis n. sp.— Form rather slender, pale brownish testaceous. Clypeus 

 truncate, angles prominent and sides convergent posteriorly %, or with angles 

 rounded and sides divergent posteriorly 9 • Surface sparsely clothed with re- 

 cumbent elongate scales. Thorax more than twice as wide as long, sides strongly 

 arcuate at middle, margin crenulate, median impression of disc very feeble, surface 

 sparsely clothed with whitish scale-like hairs forming three distinct denser vittas. 

 Elytra sparsely punctate and sparsely clothed with whitish elongate scales, a lateral 

 denser vitta distinct, the disc with irregular spots forming two very indistinct vittse. 

 Body beneath with long hairs, abdomen sparsely pubescent. Pygidium sparsely 

 pubescent. Length .74 inch ; 10 mm. 



Male.— Aniennte as in variolosa. Anterior tibiai with the outer apical angle 

 alone prolonged, middle and posterior tibire without trace of spine or oblique ridge 

 at middle. 



