REVISION OF TENEBRIONID SUBFAMILY CONIONTIN^E bl 



atist has been more of a "bete noire," figuratively as well as 

 literally, than the genus Coniontis. This has arisen in great 

 measure from the preposterous extent of variation assumed to 

 affect the species, which for this reason, have been usually con- 

 sidered to be virtually undefinable. I concluded therefore to 

 test this variability by carefully collecting series of what were 

 indubitably single species, in each case from one isolated en- 

 vironment, and studying them carefully specimen by specimen. 

 The result of this study shows that the various forms, whether 

 species or subspecies, do not go beyond the average of the Cole- 

 optera in point of intraspecific plasticity, but are unusually sub- 

 ject to modification and consequent division into closely allied 

 forms by local conditions, which will account for the conclusions 

 formerly drawn from study of miscellaneous material. The 

 genus, being distributed over a greatly extended and climatic- 

 ally varied geographic region, is naturally composed of very 

 numerous forms which are structurally but slightly diversified, 

 — the usual condition in wingless and feebly migratory genera 

 of Coleoptera, — and, although perhaps more conventionally 

 distinguishable in the majority of cases as subspecies, varieties, 

 aberrations, anomalies and monstrosities of the German school, 



1 feel unable with the material at hand to make these assign- 

 ments satisfactorily and therefore announce them as species for 

 the present. The genus may be divided primarily into the 

 three following subgenera : — 



Metasternum flat, margined anteriorly ; elytra always much longer 

 than wide 3 



Metasternum longitudinally convex, declivous anteriorly, not mar- 

 gined ; elytra as wide as long 3 



2 — Basal joint of the anterior tarsi stout, shorter, obliquely obtrian- 



gular ; third palpal joint distinctly though not very greatly shorter 

 than the fourth ; mesosternum between the coxie narrow, deeply 

 impressed on its anterior slope; eyes very short, strongly trans- 

 verse and reniform ; body more or less strongly convex. 



Coniontis I ^— ' 



Basal joint of the anterior tarsi slender and more elongate, not triangular ; 

 third palpal joint very much shorter than the last, the latter unusu- 

 ally elongate ; mesosternum a little wider between the coxae, more 

 feebly impressed on its anterior slope ; eyes much less transverse, 

 suboval, only feebly sinuate anteriorly; body very small, subde- 

 pressed, elongate-oval, the legs and antennie longer tlian usual. 



Crypticomorpha / "-^0 



