PROCEEDINGS 



OF THE 



WASHINGTON ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 



Vol. X, pp. 51-166. April 25, 1908. 



A REVISION OF THE TENEBRIONID SUBFAMILY 



CONIONTIN^. 



By Thos. L. Casey. 



Such genera as Eiisattus, Coniontis^ Ccelus, Branchus and 

 Praocis possess a peculiar and consistent habitus distinguishing 

 them as a special group in a somewhat heterogeneous assem- 

 blage, brought together under the subfamily name Asidinas by 

 LeConte and Horn. The only characters considered to be of 

 subfamily weight by the latter authors are those relating to the 

 coriaceous posterior margin of the penultimate abdominal seg- 

 ments and the presence or absence of a trochantin, but there are 

 assuredly some other important characters, the utilization of 

 which would serve to segregate the multitude of genera forming 

 the first subdivision of the family into more homogeneous 

 groups, that, in several cases, might be regarded as subfamilies 

 without doing any great violence to precedent in other parts of 

 the Coleopterous series. I have in mind more especially the size 

 of the mentum and certain characters relating to the hind cox£e. 

 In regard to subfamily division among those Tenebrionids which 

 have no coriaceous hind margins of the abdominal segments, 

 the following scheme might be proposed : — 



Mentum large, covering both the maxillae and ligula; hind coxae 

 variable, generally transverse, feebly oblique in some Euryme- 

 toponids and strongly oblique in the Zophosini ; trochantin in- 

 visible throughout Tent yriin^e 



Mentum smaller, never concealing both the maxillae and ligula' 2 



'The genera Astrotus and Ologlyftus constitute a remarkable exception to this 

 rule, the entire buccal opening being closely filled by the mentum ; but in all 

 other characters, including facies, these genera are purely Asidid, showing how dif- 

 ficult it is to select characters constant through large groups in the Tenebrionidse. 

 Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., April, 190S. 51 



