COLEOPTERA. 193 



E;L1.ESCHUS StepU. 



E. californicus n. sp. — Form long and slender, piceous or rufo- 

 piceous, covered densely with very elongate narrow scales which are dis- 

 posed transversely on the pronotum and longitudinally on the elytra, 

 generally yellowish-cinereous, sparser along a median line on the pronotum ; 

 elytra having a transverse rectangular dark spot on the suture just behind 

 the njiddle ; between this and the base there are a few faint mottlings ; 

 under surface more sparsely covered with very thin scale-like white liairs. 

 Head small, slightly wider than long, convex very densely and coarsely 

 punctate ; eyes large, moderately prominent, somewhat coarsely granulate, 

 separated by much less than their own width ; beak rather short and robust, 

 glabrous and polished in the apical two-thirds, where the punctures become 

 very small, isolated, and distinct, absent from a narrow medial region and 

 from the extreme t\]y, the latter bearing about six fine erect setae ; antennae 

 testaceous throughout, scape slender, bent at tip, serobes very deep, oblique, 

 first joint of the funicle slightly shorter than the next three together, second 

 slightly longer than the third, club short, oval, very compact. Prothorax 

 widest in the middle where it is very slightly wider than long ; sides thence 

 very feebly convergent and nearly straight to the base, more strongly con- 

 vergent and feebly sinuate near the apex, the latter nearly three-fourths as' 

 long as the base, both broadly and very feebly arcuate ; disk strongly convex, 

 coarsely deeply and very densely punctate ; punctures round. Scutellum 

 small, longer than wide, more densely squamulate, ogival. Elytra at base 

 one-third wider than the pronotum ; sides jjarallel and straight for two-thirds 

 the length, then convergent ; each elytron acutely rounded at tlie inner 

 apical angle ; disk strongly convex transversely, feebly so longitudinally, 

 more than twice as long as the head and pronotum together and about twice 

 as long as wide ; striae somewhat feebly impressed, very coarsely deeply and 

 closely punctate ; punctures somewhat elongate-oval, intervals nearly flat, 

 three times as wide as the punctures. Abdomen flat, coarsely and very 

 feebly punctulate. Legs short and robust, dark piceo-testaceous through- 

 out ; tibiae short, obliquely truncate, having a single interior terminal spine, 

 fimbriate at tip with short equal spinUles. Claws very small, strongly 

 arcuate, having a short distinct tooth near the base. Length (exclusive of 

 beak) 2.6 mm. 



California, 2. 



Of Elleschus there are in my cabinet three forms, viz. : A small 



species 1.8 mm. in length, pale in color and very densely punctate 



on the pronotum, abundant near the Atlantic seaboard ; another 



represented by eight very uniform specimens from Kansas, 2.4 mm. 



in length, with less dense pronotal punctuation, and a third, above 



described, which differs from the other two by the distinct punctures 



of the beak and the much coarser pronotal punctuation, as well as in 



its more elongate cylindrical form and larger size. The first of those 



above mentioned is probably ephippiatns, the second may be distinct 



and if so is probably undescribed. 



9* 



