June, 1920.] XicOLAY AXD Wl-ISS: TlIR GrOUP TrACHES. 143 



Key to the Species of Taphrocerus. 



1 . Elytra glabrous 2 



Elytra with spots or lines of pubescence- ; pubescence rarely wanting and 



replaced by punctate foves 5 



2. Thorax widest at and depressed at base 3 



Thorax not depressed at base, uniformly rounded, sides parallel or widest at 



centre 4 



3. Robust, black with a slight virescent to xneous shine ; tips of elytrta strongly 



serrulate ; length 4.5-5.5 mm puncticoUis Schwarz. 



Depressed, a?neous ; head shining, deeply impressed ; tips of elytra not or 

 very feebly serrulate : elytra coarsely punctate ; length 3.5-4 mm. 



schaefferi nov. sp. 



4. Subparallel, coppery, moderately shining; thorax widest at middle; head 



alutaceous, feebly impressed, narrower than widest portion of thorax; 



elytra finely punctate agriloides Crotch. 



Sides of thorax parallel ; head as wide as thorax IzevicoUis Le Conte. 



5. Apical half of elytra with two , white fascia ; black with sneous rarely vires- 



cent lustre to entirely aeneous gracilis Say. 



Apical half of elytra with six isolated dots of white pubescence; black with- 

 out aeneous lustre albonotatus Blatchley. 



Taphrocerus puncticoUis Schwarz, 78-363, Plate VI (Fig. A). 



(Original description.) 



" Elongate above, blackish blue or black with faint aeneous tinge, shining. 

 Head less strongly excavate, very finely alutaceous, distinctly moderately, 

 sparsely punctate, punctures deeper than in T. gracilis. Thorax transverse, 

 narrowed in front when viewed from above, sides minute before the hind 

 angles which are rectangular, base strongly lobed in the middle, lobe broadly 

 emargin^te, surface uneven with the distinct carina in front of the hind angles 

 very finely alutaceous, coarsely unequally punctured, each puncture bearing a 

 very short scale-like hair. Scutellum transverse, shining. Elytra impressed 

 at base, impressions on the disc not obvious, serrate at outer apical angle, an- 

 teriorly moderately strongly striate punctate, punctures obsolete toward the 

 apex, each with a very fine short hair, interstice on the disc unequal, the striae 

 therefore appear subgeminate, humeral carina broadly interrupted at middle. 

 Beneath bluish black or black, nietasternum coarsely punctured, abdomen with 

 sparse shallow punctures, last segment with a deep semicircular marginal 

 sulcus. Length 5 mm. .20 inch. 



'' Enterprise and Cedar Keys. More elongate than gracilis and 

 distinguished hy the deeper punctuation of head, thorax and nieta- 

 sternum and hy tlic elytra less even without patches of puhescence ; 



