NO. 3568 MELANOTUS — QUATE AND THOMPSON 65 



Female.^ — 'Antenna extends just to tip of hind angle or short of tip 

 by one-half segment; internal genitalia as figured, biu-sa with 2 patches 

 of tacklike spines, accessory gland slender and shorter than bursa, 

 spermathecal duct branches near its base. 



Elytron: 8.5-9.5 mm. 5 spec. 



Type. — Holotype of gradatus: Male, Maryland. Only specimen 

 in type series, not seen by us. 



Distribution.— Maryland west to Kansas and Arkansas. 



Arkansas: Lawrence, Washington; April, June. Illinois: Gallatin, Pope, 

 Pulaski, St. Clair; May, June. Indiana: Clark; June. Kansas: Douglas; 

 June. Ohio: Hamilton; June. 



The fine vestiture and punctures on the posterior part of the pro- 

 notum, the short antennae, and moderately large size readily dis- 

 tinguish M. gradatus from other North American Melanotus. 



42. Melanotus insipiens (Say) 



Figures 7h, 12g 



Elater insipiens Say, 1825, p. 267.— 1839, p. 184. 



Cr atony chus insipiens. — LeConte, 1853, p. 480. 



Melanotus insipiens. — Candeze, 18G0, p. 361. — Fattig, 1951, p. 21. 



Cratonychus tenellus Erichson, 1842, p. 114. — LeConte, 1853, p. 480. 



Melanotus tenellus. — Candeze, 1860, p. 362. — Fattig, 1951, p. 22. 



Male. — Very small, light to dark reddish brown, species with 

 white or yellowish vestiture. 



Head: Front with shallow, narrow anterior depression or lacking 

 entirely; margin dark reddish brown, not strongly protuberant over 

 clypeus, evenly rounded when viewed from above, slightly upturned; 

 parantennal fovea deep, well defined, semicircidar; nasale wider than 

 high. Mandible with deep, rounded, or elongate pit. Antenna 

 exceeds tip of hind angle by 2 to 2]^ segments, segment 3 intermediate 

 in size between 2 and 4, 4 about 1% times as long as maximum width; 

 erect male hairs moderately long and sparse. 



Pronotum a little wider than long; punctures at center usually 

 separated by distance equal to about own diameter, slightly smaller 

 than punctures on front; sides of pronotum straight behind small 

 anterior curvature and divergent posteriorly; hind angles divergent, 

 carina extending cephalad of angle base, close to and paralleling sides. 



Last visible sternite of abdomen with punctures on posterior half 

 round and considerably larger than on rest of abdominal venter. 

 Genitalia as figured; paramere with apical blade. 



Elytron: 3,5±0.2 mm (3.1-4.0), 50 spec. 



Female. Antenna exceeds tip of hind angle by one-half segment; 

 internal genitalia as figured, bursa with few tacklike spmes, accessory 

 gland and spermathecal duct originate close together at apex of bursa, 

 duct diverticulum very short. 



