NO. 3568 MELANOTUS QUATE AND THOMPSON 59 



In view of the closeness of the two and their allopatric distribution, 

 it is debatable if lanceatus shoidd be considered a subspecies of longulus. 

 We decided against that ranking on the basis that the differences be- 

 tween lanceatus and longulus are greater than between the two sub- 

 species of longulus and that the female internal genitalia indicate a 

 greater divergence of the two than other characters. It seems to us 

 highly improbable that the two are capable of interbreeding with 

 female reproductive organs so dissimilar, and, therefore, they should 

 not be considered as belonging to the same species. 



38. Melanotus hamatus KnuU 



Figure 7d 

 Melanotus hamatus KnuU, 1959, p. 280. 



Male. — Body color reddish brown, covered with whitish vestiture. 



Head: Front with small, transverse depression behind margin, mar- 

 gin angulate, coming to obtuse but noticeable point at midline, 

 protruding in front of nasale only by width of black rim; nasale not 

 strongly elevated but defined, wider than long; parantennal fovea 

 shallow, C-shaped, definite. Mandible with deep, elongate pit. An- 

 tenna exceeds tip of hind angle by about one-half segment; segment 

 3 small, much smaller than 4 but a little larger than 2. 



Pronotum wider than long; punctures large as on front, compact, 

 separated by less than own diameter; sides rounded with concavity in 

 front of hind angles; hind angles small, divergent. Genitalia as 

 figured; paramere with peculiar winglike flap on venter near center 

 and ^nthout apical blade. 



Elytron: 6.4 mm (5.8-6.9). 8 spec. 



Female.- — ^Unknown to us. 



Type. — Holotype: Male, Chisos Mtns., Texas (Knull Collection). 



Distribution. — -Texas. 



Texas: Big Bend Nat. Pk., Jeff Davis; July . 



The small size, small third antennal segment, large and dense 

 pronotal punctures, together with the limited distribution in the 

 Southwest, will readily identify this species. Of course, dissected 

 males show the unusual male paramere that is dissimilar to all other 

 American Melanotus. 



38a. Melanotus longulus (LeConte) 



Cratonychits longidits LeConte, 1853, p. 473. 

 Melanotus longulus. — Candfeze, 1860, p. 339. 



Male.— Body color reddish brown to black, covered with yellowish 

 vestiture, evenly distributed over body. 



Head: Front with shallow to marked anterior transverse depression, 

 margin projects in front of nasale by width of rim or less, rounded or 



