NO. 3568 MELANOTUS — QUATE AND THOMPSON 47 



and well defined, semicircular; nasale protuberant, width 1 to IK times 

 height. Mandible with deep, oval pit. Antenna exceeds tip of hind 

 angle by 1 to 1 K segments along sides, reddish brown, ratio of segments 

 2:3:4=3:4.5:5, segment 4 about 1% times as long as maximum width, 

 erect male hairs short but easily seen. 



Pronotum usually as wide as long, ratio of width/length= 1.0-1.07; 

 punctures at center usually separated by distance equal to about twice 

 own diameter, smaller than punctures on front; sides of pronotum 

 behind small anterior curvature nearly straight except slight concavity 

 near center and markedly divergent posteriorly; hind angles divergent, 

 carina usually extending cephalad of base of hind angle. Genitalia 

 as figured; paramere slender, tapering, without apical blade. 



Elytron: 7.0 ±0.5 mm (5.2-7.8). 29 spec. 



Female. — Similar to male; bursa with moderate number of scat- 

 tered, plaquehke spines, accessory gland originates near center of 

 bursa, spermathecal duct diverticulum originates not far from base of 

 duct, short and capitate. 



Elytron: 6.9 ±0.3 mm (6.3-7.5). 23 spec. 



Types. — Type of testaceus: No specimen found at MCZ definitely 

 labelled and unquestionably the type. In LeConte Collection a 

 teneral (and hence testaceous) male labelled (by LeConte?) "angus- 

 tatus." We suspect this specimen is the type of testaceus and think 

 LeConte placed it with angustatus after he decided the two species 

 were synonymous (1853, p. 475). 



Type of dubius: Male, labelled with orange circle "Southern States" 

 (MCZ 2520). Only specimen in type series; the orange label indicat- 

 ing locality in South does not correspond with LeConte's (1853, p. 479) 

 Usting of N.Y., but nonetheless is regarded as the type. 



Distribution. — New York to Florida, west to Missouri and Texas. 



Arkansas: Hempstead, Washington; April, August. Florida: Pinellas; 

 April. Georgia: Fulton; June. Illinois: Alexander, Lawrence; April, July. 

 Montana: Callaway; May. New Jersey: Ocean; June. New York: 

 Suffolk, Tompkins; June, August. North Carolina: Wayne; April. Ohio: 

 Delaware, Greene, Hocking, Scioto; May, June. Texas: no data. Virginia: 

 Nottoway; May. 



This species has been identified as angustatus, and nearly all of our 

 identifications will bear a label with that name. However, the type of 

 angustatus is a specimen of americanus, and for a long time the species 

 has been misidentified in North America. 



The name testaceus is used for this species, although it is based on 

 tenuous grounds, as there appears to be no unequivocal type specimen; 

 however, this seems to be the name most aptly apphed to the species. 



Undissected specimens will often be confused with trapezoideus, 

 although the characters in the key will be useful in separating the two 



