26 GEO. H. HORN, M. D. 



A. obesa Say. — Oblong oval, narrower in front, piceous-black sliining, the 

 elytra opaque in tlie female. Anteunse ferruginous or brownish. Hear! smooth, 

 frontal impressions feeble. Thoi-ax about one-half broader tlian the length, apex 

 moderately emarginate, sides arcuate at apical half, then nearly parallel to base, 

 hind angles rectangular, disc moderately convex, at sides slightly depressed, at 

 base two depressions, the outer much deeper and apparently limited externally 

 by a carina, basal region punctate, smoother at middle. Elytra striate, strise 

 more deeply impressed at apex, finely punctate, intervals slightly convex %, or 

 flat 9 . Body beneath piceous-black shining, the sides of the two sterna and the 

 first two ventral segments punctate. Legs piceous, or rufo-])iceous. Length 

 ..36— .48 inch. ; 9—12 mm. 



The scutellar stria is entire. The ocellate punctures of the eighth 

 stria form a nearly continuous series, being only more separated at 

 middle. The marginal line of the apex of the prosternum is deep 

 and furnished with numerous setigerous punctures, on each side 

 numbering from four to six. 



The posterior tibia of the male is nearly straight, the middle dis- 

 tinctly curved. The last ventral segment at apex has two setigerous 

 punctures on each side, the same as the female. 



In a large series of specimens variations of form will be observed. 

 Sometimes the form is quite slender, not unlike some Poecilvs, or the 

 outline may be more oval and quite like A. interstitiaUs. 



For a long time, beginning with Dejeau (Sp. iii, p. 502), this spe- 

 cies has been considered identical with patricia of Europe, a view 

 which has been successively adopted by Erichson, Schaum and Le- 

 Conte. It was not until 1859 (Stett. Zeit. 1859, p. 180) that Chaudoir 

 indicated that the punctuation of the sides of the sterna separated 

 our species from jxitricia. Schaum states (Ins. Deutschl. i, p. 550) 

 that in patricia the male has but one anal seta on each side ; obesa 

 has always two, and I have seen three. It is, however, stated by 

 Thomson (Skand. Col. i, p. 241) that patricia has two setigerous 

 punctures each side in both sexes. 



A. diffinis Lee is founded on several narrower s{)ecimens wliich do 

 not differ in any important respect from obesa. 



A very widely distributed species, New York, District of Columbia, 

 Indiana, Michigan, Montana, Idaho, Hudson's Bay Territory, Col- 

 orado, Nebraska, Utah, Oregon, Washington. 



A. f'ortis Lee. — Oval, robust, not narrowed in front, moderately convex, 

 piceous, shining. Autennse ferruginous. Head smooth, frontal impressions 

 feeble, clypeus more or less longitudinally wrinkled. . Thorax one-half wider at 

 base than long, apex scarcely emarginate, sides arcuate, slightly narrowed toward 

 base, hind angles rectangular, disc convex, the two basal depressions distinct 



