84 CASEY 



some individuals of which the sides are not even notably prominent 

 in anterior rotundity, while in others there is a distinct angulation; 

 the character is, at best, rather inconstant and unreliable as a specific 

 criterion. The synonym obscura Fitch, recorded originally by LeConte 

 under virginiensis, and later repeated by Kerremans in the form 

 '' obscurata,'' I have been unable to find in the quoted article by Dr. 

 Fitch, There is, to be sure, a variety suggested by that author in 

 the running text of his article, but it is not obscura, and, being unrecog- 

 nizable, it were better that it lapse and be not perpetuated in synon- 

 ymy. 



Texania n. gen. 



The more densely punctate antennal joints, forming one of the 

 structural differences between this genus and Chalcophora, was noted 

 without further comment by LeConte, but that author failed to ob- 

 serve the large and well developed antero-internal sensory fossa of 

 the outer joints, which are wholly obsolete in that genus; this, with the 

 character mentioned, alone necessitates the generic separation from 

 Chalcophora of Buprestis campesiris and other allied forms. In 

 addition, however, there are three other distinctive structural char- 

 acters of importance distinguishing the two genera. The first of these 

 supplemental characters relates to the general sculpture of the upper 

 surface of the body, the pronotum having a narrower, deeper and undi- 

 vided median sulcus, and the more coarsely punctato-rugulose elytra 

 have very shallow, irregularly rounded areolae, more or less interrupt- 

 ing the continuity of a few fine uneven longitudinal nervures. The 

 second differential character results from the complete coalescence or 

 disappearance of the prosternal sulci of Chalcophora, to form a feeble 

 pubescent impression in the male or simply a flattened surface in the 

 female, and the third refers to the very strong and acute serration of 

 the sides of the elytra posteriorly, which, however, is not always so 

 developed as in the type, becoming much feebler, though always dis- 

 tinct, in such species asfulleri and bisinuata. At the same time, the 

 affinity of Texania with Chalcophora is strongly expressed by the 

 general structure of the head and prothorax, as well as by the form 

 of the triangular incisure at the abdominal apex of the male. Kerre- 

 mans separated a genus Chalcophorella from the European representa- 

 tives of Chalcophora, but, from all information available at present^ 



