140 Journal New York Entomological Society. [Voi. viii. 



the hind femora ; coxk small ; body clothed with long sparse erect coarse and 



bristling hairs ; scutellum large Trln'odini 



5 — Anterior coxae contiguous at apex over the presternum, which has the form of a 

 transverse pointed plate; antenna lljointed, the club 3-jointed, not received 

 within al)ruptly excavated pits, the hypomera biconcave ; legs very closely retrac- 

 tile ; body glabrous, the epipleura- distinct toward base ; scutellum well developed. 



Ori'Hii.ini 



Except the small and isolated tribe Trinodini, which is confined to 

 tlie .A^tlantic and Sonoran regions, all of these groups are very general 

 in distribution. 



Dkrmkstini. 



The genus Deniwsfcs differs so greatly from tlie other types of the 

 family in the absence of the very characteristic vertexal ocellus and 

 contiguous anterior coxre, that it is necessary to regard it as a distinct 

 tribe. The metacoxal lamina is narrow, extending only to the para- 

 pleura, and is notal)ly elongate internally, the XWivx. seriate with short 

 stout si)inules and the tarsi rather stout, with the basal joint shorter 

 than the second, generally very markedly so, but sometimes only 

 slightly as in lardariiis. 



Dermestes Linn. 



The species of Dcimrsies are rather numerous and are the largest 

 of the family. They can be readily classified by the form of the 

 inner marginal suture of the abdomen toward base, and by the form 

 and vestiture of the prothorax, as follows : — 



Inner lateral suture of the first abdominal segment infiexed at base to the outer limit 

 of the hind coxn:?, becoming deeply excavated at the basal margin 2 



Inner lateral suture straight, not infiexed basally and distant at base from the outer 

 limit of the coxae ; pronotum not deeply declivous latei^ally, the margin visible 

 throughout from above 10 



2 — Pronotum clothed densely throughout with variegated black and fulvous pubes- 

 cence, except in incdialis, the flanks deeply declivous; male with the third and 

 fourth segments foveolate at the middle 3 



Pronotum clothed with dense cinerous pubescence laterally, leaving a large triangular 

 or [jarabolic discal area sparsely clothed with almost uniform pubescence, the 

 flanks rather deeply declivous 7 



Pronotum somewhat sparsely or inconspicuously and quite uniformly pubescent 

 throughout, the flanks less declivous, the lateral margin visible from above 

 throughout the length ; third and fourth ventrals foveolate in the male 9 



3 — Pronotum having, as a marked feature of the vestiture, three widely separated 

 points of pale pubescence arranged transversely at about the middle of the 

 length 4 



Pronotum without the three points of paler pubescence 6 



