MELANDRYIDAE. 249 



Anterior coxae oval, separated by the presternum ; 

 Head horizontal ; 

 3d joint of antennae longer than the 4th. Penthes. 



3d joint of antennae equal to the 4th. Synchro.*;. 



Head vertical. Orchesi^;. 



Anterior coxae contiguous ; 

 Claws simple ; 

 Frontal suture not visible. Serropalpi. 



Frontal suture distinct. Melandry^. 



Claws broadly dilated and toothed at the base. Noxhi. 



Group I. — Penthes. 



I have placed as a separate group the genus Penthe, represented 

 by two velvety black, flattened, oval species, found under bark 

 in the Atlantic States ; the more common one, P. obliquata, is 

 readily known by the scutellum covered with orange-colored hair. 



These insects resemble in appearance gigantic Mycetophagi, 

 and have been classed by previous authors among the Tenebri- 

 onidae ; the anterior coxal cavities are widely open behiud. 



The antennas are not thickened externally ; the 3d joint is as 

 long as the 4th and 5th together ; the 7-10 are rounded, the 11th 

 is a little longer, and is pale at the tip ; in the male the joints 

 4-7 are compressed and broader than the others ; the maxillary 

 palpi are moderate in length, and but slightly dilated ; the ante- 

 rior coxae are oval and separated by the prosternum ; the middle 

 coxae are equally distant, and the hind coxae are less distant ; the 

 tarsi are filiform, the penultimate joint not being lobed ; the 

 claws are simple ; the tibial spurs are short. 



Group II.— Synchroae. 

 This group contains but a single species, Synchroa punctata 

 Newman {Melandrya umbrina Mels.), from the Atlantic States. 

 The form is elongate, like an Elateride of the genus Melanotus, 

 coarsely punctured and pubescent ; the head is prominent and 

 horizontal ; the maxillary palpi are moderate in length, and but 

 slightly dilated ; the antennas are long, slender, and feebly serrate, 

 and the third joint is not longer than the fourth ; the anterior 

 coxae are oval and separated by the prosternum, which is also 

 slightly prolonged ; the middle coxas are equally separated ; the 

 hind coxae are less distant ; the tarsi are filiform, and the claws 

 simple ; the tibial spurs are long. 



