164 Journal New York Entomological Society. ^^^°^- ^^v. 



value of this monograph, its use is very unsatisfactory to the Amer- 

 ican student as a guide to the identification of the species of his own 

 fauna. Dealing as it does with the faunas of the whole world, and 

 being almost destitute of dichotomous tables, it is altogether too 

 cumbrous and indefinite for this purpose. Contributory to this state 

 of affairs may be mentioned the fact that Sharp had been unable to 

 secure anything like an adequate representation of North American 

 forms, and was too often forced to base his opinions on but one or 

 two examples of a species, and those not infrequently in poor con- 

 dition. Even as late as 1902, in a letter to the writer. Dr. Sharp 

 confessed to having " only a mis'erable representation of North Amer- 

 ican Dytiscidse." It is moreover true that such genera as Laccophilus, 

 Coelambus, Hydropoms, Ilyhiiis, etc., constitute more or less difficult 

 studies, and even with our more abundant material no one has yet 

 acquired sufficient familiarity with our species to venture a tabula- 

 tion of them. 



Types of all the new species described in the following pages are 

 in the writer's collection, with the exception of Hydropoms dixianiis, 

 of which the type is in the Cornell University Collection at Ithaca, 

 N. Y. Paratypes of this species are in my own and Mr. Sherman's 

 collection. 



Of all species sent for description by Mr. Sherman there are 

 paratypes in his collection, and of these there are also paratypes in 

 the collection of the American Museum of Natural History except 

 Coelambus sylvanus, 'Hydropoms dixianus, H. tigrinus, H. var. 

 snffiisiis and H. brevicornis. 



LACCOPHILUS. 



The two following species are easily definable albeit the genus 

 as a whole offers some puzzling problems to the systematist. 



Laccophilus inconspicuus new species. 



Form nearly regularly oval ; finely reticulato-alutaceous, moderately shining, 

 subimpunctate ; testaceous, the elytra uniformly ochreo-testaceous to brownish, 

 without maculation ; beneath testaceous throughout, or with the metasternum 

 or abdomen or both darker. Antennae filiform, but thicker than in allied spe- 

 cies, the intermediate joints not or scarcely twice as long as wide, the 

 terminal joint largely blackish. Front tarsi narrowly dilated in the male; 

 coxal file entirely wanting. Length 4.3 to 4.7 mm.; width 2.4 to 2.6 mm. 



