468 PROCEEDINGH OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. vol.52. 



Genus MALACHIUS Fabricius. 



MALACHIUS IMMURUS, new name. 



Unfortunately the name pristinus, under which I described a fossil 

 Malachius from Florissant/ had previously been used by Fall for a 

 recent Californian species. Since he has kindly called my attention 

 to the oversight, I wish to substitute for the fossil the name proposed 

 above. 



Genus VRILLETTA LeConte. 



VKILLETTA MONSTROSA, new species. 



Plate 37, fig. 5. 



Form moderately elongate. Head deflexed, but not very strongly, 

 surface extremely minutely and rather sparsely granulate on the 

 front and vertex, but closely, finely and confusedly punctured on the 

 sides near the thoracic front margin. Eye, as preserved, rather 

 quadrate in outhne, in hfe probably nearly circular. Antennae lost 

 except a few disconnected joints which, in general, are scarcely ser- 

 rate but the terminal ones appear to be larger. Prothorax about 

 equal in height and breadth, back irregularly arched, surface granu- 

 late hke the head but somewhat more coarsely and sparsely. Elytra 

 approximately two and one-third times the prothoracic length, 

 epipleural lobe distinct, set off from the remainder of the elytron by 

 a fine ridge or crease, striae of small, rounded, moderately deep 

 punctures separated in each series by about their own diameters or 

 a little less, interstitial spaces broad, flat, minutely alutaceous. The 

 tip is not well preserved, so that the fines are indistinct in that region. 

 Under side nearly smooth. Legs short, not very stout, extremely 

 minutely pubescent, tibiae carinate. Length, from front of pronotum 

 to abdominal apex, 9.25 mm. 



Type.— Cat. No. 63447, U.S.N.M. 



One specimen, with counterpart. There is no difficulty in distin- 

 guishing this beetle from other fossil Florissant Anobiinae, the great 

 size, in itself, serving for identification. The reference to this sub- 

 family is made on the basis of the form of the prothorax, its relation 

 to the head, the cephahc, thoracic, and elytral sculpture, the antennae, 

 as far as shown, and especially upon the tarsal structure wliich is 

 fike that of the recent Vrilletta murrayi from our Pacific coast. The 

 sculptural characters are more fike those of V. plumbea from the same 

 general region. The generic assignment rests upon general similarity 

 rather than upon truly definitive featm-es. 



> Bull. Lab. Nat. Hist. Univ. Iowa, vol. 7, No. 3, p. 8. 



