AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 



439 



1. C. erythropterus. 



Order and Section.— COLEOPTER A PENTAMERA. 

 Tribe I.—ENTOMOPIIAGA. Family IL—VARABICI. 



BRACK IN US Web. Fabr. 



Anterior tibia einarginate ; elytra truncateiJ at tip ; palpi fili- 

 form; labium subquadrate ; neck none; abdomen with interior 

 vesicles inclosing a caustic, volatile, and detonating fluid ; nails 

 simple. 



B. FUMANS. — Ferruginous; elytra blue-black; venter, testa- 

 ceous-black. 



Brachinus fumans, ferruginous ; elytra blackish-azure. Fabr. Syst. 

 Bleut., p. 219. 



Body ferruginous, with numerous minute hairs; head, front 

 longitudinally impressed, each side near the base of the an- 

 tennae ; thorax with a longitudinal impressed line from the head 

 to the scutcl ; scutel minute, blackish-brown ; elytra blackish- 

 azure ; about seven slightly impressed, very obtuse grooves, more 

 distinct near the suture, and obsolete at the outer margin ; sepa- 

 rating lines rounded ; venter dark reddish-brown. 



Length olevcn-twentioths of an inch. 



Rather common under stones, &c., in various parts of North 

 America. In common with the other species of the genus, it 

 discharges from the posterior extremity of the body, when [8] 

 alariucd or irritated, a caustic fluid; this is remarkable by an 

 1823.] 



