REVISION OF TENEBRIONID SUBFAMILY CONIONTIN^ 55 



at the humeri, and the acute side margins of the elytra are 

 exactly as in Discodcmus and Mcgasattus ; the basal angles of 

 the prothorax are prolonged backward very distinctly but to a 

 much slighter degree than in any of the Eusatti. The scutellum 

 is moderately developed and triangular to obsolete, the head and 

 eyes nearly as in Coniontini, except that the notch at the ex- 

 tremity of each oblique suture is much more pronounced, the 

 general form recalling Asfda, and all the oral organs as well as 

 the antennae are purely Coniontid. The pronotum is finely 

 costate along the median line and reflexed at the sides, the basal 

 joint of the hind tarsi much elongated and the anterior tibiae 

 minutely dentate externally at tip. 



Tribe Coniontini. 

 It appears to the writer eminently illogical to consider the 

 remarkably diversified elytral epipleurai, among the forms allied 

 to Eiisattus^ as having anything less than generic value. It is 

 unfortunate that our nomenclatorial system should be compelled 

 to absorb so many names, but there is nothing to prove that the 

 various and radical modifications are inconstant and I have seen 

 no intermediate forms. The epipleurse are perfectly constant 

 throughout the genera £usattus, with numerous species, Disco- 

 dcnms, with some seven apparently specific forms and elsewhere. 

 A very noteworthy circumstance concerning this tribe, as well 

 as the next, relates to the results of isolation on the islands off 

 the coast of California, a large proportion of the forms occur- 

 ring there being generically different from those of the main- 

 land. The genera, which form two distinct subtribal groups 

 clustering about Eitsatttis and Coniontis respectively, may be 

 defined as follows : — 



Elytra widely embracing the sides of the body, the epipleuras variable ; 

 anterior tibias with everted external angle at apex ; basal joint 

 of the anterior tarsi long, slightly dilated at or toward tip ; pro- 

 thorax always prolonged backward at the sides and enveloping 

 the humeri; scutellum nearly obsolete. [Subtribe Eusatti] — 2 



Elytra narrowly embracing the sides of the body, the epipleurae con- 

 stantly narrow and occupying the entire inflexed part; anterior 

 tibiae with uneverted or very feebly everted external angle at 

 apex, the basal joint of the anterior tarsi short, obliquely truncate 

 at tip ; prothorax variable at base but generally more truncate; 

 scutellum generally well developed. [Subtribe Coxiontes] — 8 



