AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 



157 



A-b. — Antennfie with less than three joints glabrous. Mentum not toothed. 

 Terminal joint of palpi ovate, acuminate at tip and pubescent. Ungues 



simple Eucserus. 



B. — Mandibles without scrobes. Mentum not toothed. 



Ungues simple, fourth tarsal joint not dilated Peiitagonica. 



Ungues pectinate, fourth tarsal joint bilobed Oiiota. 



Tetragonoderus Dej. — This genus is made the type of a tribe by 

 Baron Chaudoir (Bull. Mosc. 1876), in which four other genera are 

 included, the essential characters being the form of the maxillae (80) 

 and the structure of the tibial spurs. The extremity of the inner lobe 

 of the maxilla is spoken of by Chaudoir rather as an appendix, but it 

 seems to be rather the true termination, the hook behind it corresponding 

 with the tooth which will be seen in the figure of Eucserus (100). 

 If we consider the tooth as the tip of the maxilla we have the anomaly 

 presented of the outer or palpar lobe longer than the inner, a character 

 not otherwise observed in the Carabidse. 



Nemotarsus Lee. — This name has through the suggestion of some 

 extreme purists been lengthened to Nematotarsus without however adding 

 anything to a knowledge of the genus itself. This genus is placed by 

 Chaudoir in association with Tetragonoderus but not in the same tribe. 

 It is one of those genera which will fit in several tribes on a ligular 

 basis but will be excluded by characters which must be allowed to have 

 more weight. 



Lebia Latr. — This genuS' has also been made the type of a tribe by 

 Chaudoir, to which he assigns characters by no means peculiar to the 

 genera included. Attention has already been partially directed to these 

 characters. In consequence of the existence of epilobes in the mentum 

 of all our species, it has. been found impossible to retain the divisions 

 suggested by Chaudoir. In the figures of the mentum Aphelogenia (83) 

 will be found to have epilobes but less developed than in Loxopeza (82). 

 The species occurring in our fauna are all referred to Lebia while the 

 divisions suggested by Chaudoir are rather groups of species than genera. 



CoPTODERA Dej. — This is also the type of a tribe in the hands of 

 Baron Chaudoir, and that future students of our fauna may have the 

 special characters of the tribe at hand I reproduce them. (Ann. Belg. 

 xii, 1869) : " Ligula cornea, apice baud libera plerumque bisetosa, inter- 

 dum praeterea pluripilosa ; paraglossse, menibranaceae, apice pilosulae, aut 

 conniventes (ut in Coptodera) aut ligulam vix superantes. Csetera ut 

 in Thyreopteridisy 



In what respect the Coptoderides differ from the Thyreopterides 

 I have not been able to realize even with patient study. 



(35) 



