AMERICAN I'HILOSOPniCAL 60CIKTY. 590 



2. M. PURPUREfs. — Ovate, black; elytra piirplo. 



Inhabits Indiana. 



IJoily black: head with distinct punctures; front with an in- 

 dented, [165] abbreviated line placed low down : thorax with 

 scattered discoidal punctures; no lateral indentation : elytra pur- 

 ple; indented at the middle of the base and behind the hume- 

 rus; punctures rather large but not deeply impressed, placed in 

 scries and obsolete behind : tibiao angulated. 



Length under three-twentieths of an inch. 



This insect is certainly congeneric with the preceding, but it 

 cannot be placed in Trachys, or even in Ajihanistinis, if j)usi/lu!<, 

 (Jlivicr, can be considered as a type of it. 



ArilANlSTICLS Latr. 



A. GRACILIS nob. (Trnchys) Ann. Lye. New York. — The tho- 

 rax is not laterally dilated and reflected. 



[Belongs to Taphroccrus Solier, which is united with JirarhyA 

 by Lacordairc. — Lec] 



MELASIS Oliv. 



M. NIGRICORNIS nob., Journ. A. N. S. 



I was deterred from referring this species to Ccrophytiim Latr., 

 by the character *'le penulti6me article des tarses bifide. Le 

 corps est ovale." Our insect cannot therefore be the MdusU 

 picea Bcauv., which is referred to Ccrophi/tum. 



ELATEIl L. 



■{■ Tarsi not lohed beneath. 



1. E. OBLESsrs nob. (^disroulcus Fabr.) — The Fabrician 

 phrase, when describing the elytra, is, " elytra striata, atra, mar- 

 gine baseos latcralique late albo ;" but as the whitish portion 

 occupies about two-thirds of the whole surface and might lead to 

 error, it would be better to say, elytra whitish, witli the sutu- 

 ral margin and exterior edge, excepting at base, black . 



I change the Fabrician name, because it is preoccupied by 

 Weber for a very different species of this country.* 



* Dr. Harris says that "Weber's species here referred to, 13 the hamatus 

 of Fabricius ; and that Mr. Say does not seem to have known the Elnter 

 discoidcus of Fabricius, which is t^uite distinct from the above named 

 oblessus. 



183G.] 



