398 CASEY 



Bothrotes n. gen. 



This is the largest genus of the Epitragini in North America 

 and is possibly the most isolated in general facies. The remark- 

 able sexual discordance in the structure of the prothorax has 

 but few parallels in the Coleoptera, the pronotum of the female 

 having two prominent longitudinal ridges, evanescent toward 

 base, the space between them and between each and the side 

 margins concave and the lateral margins thickened. In the 

 male, not only are the ridges obsolete and the side margins very 

 fine, but the entire sculpture is generally coarser. The ridges 

 are not absolutely obsolete in the male, being traceable by two 

 inequalities of the anterior margin, and, sometimes, by a flatten- 

 ing of the disk. The body is shorter and stouter, as a rule, than 

 in Lobometofo7i and more obtusely rounded at the posterior ex- 

 tremity, but the tarsi have the same dense pads of pubescence 

 and the frontal parts of the head and the sternal structure are 

 similar. The fine simple upper margin of the epipleur^e attains 

 the sutural angles but at a considerable distance within the lower 

 margin, which becomes more outwardly prominent near the 

 angles, with the intermediate surface deeply grooved, and the 

 united tips of the elytra are protected and sunken partially below 

 the upturned edge of the last ventral segment. The onh' modi- 

 fication on the posterior declivity of the elytra, is a slight con- 

 cavity between the one or two somewhat accentuated ridges 

 separating the usual broadly impressed lines, so characteristic 

 of the tribe in general, together with a few series of small, 

 widely spaced asperities, which also appear in some of the 

 Eurymetoponini. The eyes are flattened and minutely faceted ; 

 the supra-orbital carinas are very fine or subobsolete and the 

 anterior angles of the prothorax acute and anteriorly prominent. 

 The species are difllcult to tabulate because of deficiency in 

 salient structural divergencies, but those in my cabinet may pos- 

 sibly be recognized by the following descriptions : — 



Species larger in size, always strongly bronzed 2 



Species smaller, less metallic as a rule and generally darker in 

 coloration 6 



2 — Pronotum ((j') rather strongly impressed along the median line. 

 Body elongate-ovil, strongly convex, liright coppery-bronze in 



