Proceedings of 

 the United States 

 National Museum 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION • WASHINGTON, D.C. 



Volume 118 1965 Number 352S 



SPECIES OF OEDEMERIDAE 

 OF THE BIG BEND REGION OF TEXAS' 



By Ross H. Arnett, Jr. 



During May 1959, Drs. Henry F. Howden and Edward Becker 

 made very extensive and interesting collections of insects in and near 

 Big Bend National Park, Tex. This particular collecting trip has 

 resulted in the detection of many rare and several undescribed species 

 in this poorly sampled area. The truth of this statement becomes 

 more apparent as their material is made available to the specialists. 

 Although there were "several good general rains totaling two to three 

 inches . . . during the month of May" (Howden, 1960), this alone 

 does not account for the wealth of material collected by these two 

 entomologists. After having been in the field with Dr. Howden, I 

 am convinced there is more than luck involved in the collection of 

 these rare species. His thorough and persistent methods, during 

 which time personal comfort is not his concern, has contributed 

 greatly to the progress of beetle taxonomy and biology. It is for this 

 reason that I wish to dedicate the new species described in this paper 

 to Dr. Howden. I also wish to acknowledge with thanks the loan of 

 this material by the Canadian National Collection of Insects. 



* Contribution toward a monograph of the Oedermeridae, no. 21. 



* Department of Biology, Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C. 



782-214 47 



