68 



HENTZ TO HARRIS. 



Chapel Hill, April 22, 1829. 



You will observe that the anomaly in 3Ialachius is not of the 

 same nature as in my seven insects. The ^ in some species 

 has only four joints in the hand, and otherwise is pentamerous, 

 whilst my insects, and probably yours, have a double anomaly ; 

 they should naturally be placed in the heteromerous division, 

 though they are tetramerous, and the $ has only three joints 

 in the hand. I do not think thev ouo-ht to be referred to 

 Mycetopliagiis. I mean, when I have matured the subject 

 more, to propose a new genus, having my 808 for its type. 



The nails of my 940 are serrated as in the annexed figure : 

 But it does not seem to be a Serrojyaljjus, if S. quadrimacida- 

 tus of Say is one. I have had the insect some two years, 

 but have not named it yet, and at first sight I recog- 

 Fig. 11. nized it from your very excellent sketch. That it is Mr. 

 Say's insect there is no doubt, although the size does not 

 correspond. The palpi, the form of the thorax, the direction 

 of the head, etc., forbid the referring my insect to the same 

 genus with it. Leconte's figure of 3Iycetophila does not agree 

 with my insect, but his plate is very badly executed. 



My J43 [= Elater navicellus^ Hentz's mss. Catal.] does not 



seem to be your Elater hiei'oglyphicus. Tliis is the exact 



markino; of the elvtra. They are striated, but the 



punctures are nearly equal all over. I should say that 



rtlj^ the antenn;c are slightly serrated. The rest of your 



description agrees. ^ 



Fig. 12. j,^ your supposition in regard to the luminous larva, 



I agree fully, and will look for the 9 in tlic season, but I am 



very unwilling to go into the woods now. They are infested 



with myriads of ticks which produce an intolerable itching, even 



