AMERICAN COMPONENTS OF THP: TENTYRIIN^ 473 



clearly delimited by a swollen elliptical ring at the summit of 

 a moderate but rather abruptly formed prominence. The paler 

 color of the elytral vestiture does not appear to be accidental 

 in the type. 



Noserus Lee. 



The sexual characters in this genus are similar to those of 

 Phhxodes^ except that the tumescent pubescent fovea surrounded 

 by a tumid glabrous black ring on the under surface of the 

 femora near basal third, characterizing the male, is not greatly 

 elongate, as in that genus, but nearly circular. In this char- 

 acter therefore, the genus is very closely related to Phlceodes^ 

 but in many others it differs profoundly. The labial palpi are 

 similarly large and thick, attached at the sides of the ligula, 

 which is narrow and projecting well beyond the apex of the 

 mentum, but the latter, though generally similar in size and 

 form and covering the base of the palpi, has its apex narrowly 

 and declivously produced and its surface longitudinally and 

 rather narrowly sulcate anteriorly ; the last joint of the max- 

 illary palpi is similarly obliquely ovoidal and obtusely pointed, 

 but is a little larger. The antennae are nearly similar, the first 

 nine joints being feebly obtrapezoidal and roughly sculptured 

 and the globular tenth and eleventh, combined, smooth, though 

 here less completely polished than in Phloeodes, but in the 

 complete absence of the abruptly excavated ZophcrnsAWiQ^ fur- 

 row for the reception of the antennas, the propleuras being merely 

 indefinitely and moderately depressed anteriorly, we have a 

 really radical difference between the two genera ; this is sup- 

 plemented by the elytral ridges and apical tuberosities of N'os- 

 ertis^ which are not even suggested in P/iIceodes. In the pres- 

 ent genus the transverse excavation of the fifth ventral occupies 

 only a little more than basal half of the segment ; it is broadly, 

 evenly sinuate posteriorly, the bottom rising gradually from the 

 base posteriorly, where it is nearly at the level of the elevated 

 hind margin and separated therefrom by a narrow and deep 

 ambient sulcus. The specific or subspecific forms are quite as 

 difficult to define as in Phlneodcs, but two before me, besides 

 those previously defined (1. c, p. 43), may be outlined as 

 follows : — 



Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., October, 1907. 



