158 CASEY 



abdomen rather strongly, moderately sparsely punctate, the last 

 segment densely. Length 7.6 mm. ; width 5.0 mm. San Diego. 

 Taken by the writer on the ocean beach latus Csy. 



12 — Body broadly oblong-elliptical, moderately convex, piceous-black, 

 the surface polished ; epistoma broadly sinuate ; antennse with a 

 3-jointed club ; prothorax equal in width to the elytra, a little more 

 than twice as wide as its median length, widest immediately be- 

 fore the base, the sides rather feebly arcuate and strongly converg- 

 ent, moderately densely, evenly punctate throughout ; elytra twice 

 as long as the median line of the prothorax, not longer than wide, 

 equally densely but more finely punctate than the pronotum, the 

 punctures not in the least asperate on the disk and only very feebly 

 so on the declivity and along the lateral margin ; process of the 

 first anterior tarsal joint extending vmder the next three ; marginal 

 fringe of the prothorax noticeably shorter and finer than in any of 

 the foregoing species. Length 7.0 mm. ; width5.o mm. Island 

 of San Nicolas , pacificus Fall 



Body very convex, piceous-black, the legs and elytra brown ; epistoma 

 broadly sinuate ; antennal club 4-jointed ; prothorax similar in out- 

 line to that of pacificus but shorter, the surface subopaque, densely 

 and coarsely punctate ; elytra shining, finely, densely punctate, 

 without trace of asperity ; process of the first anterior tarsal joint 

 extending beneath the next two ; marginal fringe longer than in 

 pacificus but thinner than usual. Length 6.5-7.0 mm. ; width 

 4.0-4.5 mm. Island of San Clemente remotus Fall 



Seven of the above species are represented by large and very 

 complete series, showing with unmistakable clearness that they 

 are truly delimited from each other and in scarcely any way 

 opinionative ; intermediate individuals are in fact wholly want- 

 ing. The laws of intraspecific variation can be observed so 

 readily from these series, furthermore, that there can be little 

 or no doubt concerning the specific validity of those at present 

 represented by one or two specimens. Some of the species vary 

 prodigiously in the size of the body, to an exceptional degree 

 indeed, even among the Coniontinee, and there is a very remark- 

 able inconstancy in the development of the scutellum, which 

 varies from quite distinct to wholly obsolete within the limits 

 of probably all the species ; Lacordaire records a correspond- 

 ing inconstancy in one species of the Praocini (Gen. Col. V, 

 p. 216). In fact the scutellum is not very constant anywhere in 

 the Coniontinae, except in Ccelotaxis, where it is never more 

 than vestigial or very minute, and that in a group of genera 

 where, elsewhere, it has its maximum development, giving 



