378 CASEY 



Tribe Epitragini. 



This extensive tribe is peculiarly North American, although 

 plentifully represented in South America also. It is very clearly 

 delimited from all the other tribes by the form of the mentum, 

 which is transversely parallelogrammic, with the anterior edge 

 broadly, moderately and, as a rule, evenly arcuate. The epi- 

 stoma is lobed in the middle and the mandibles truncate at tip, 

 the only exceptions known to me being JEpitragtis itself and 

 Heinasodes, the former of which is more essentially South Amer- 

 ican, the epistoma in those genera being emarginate and the 

 mandibles apically bifid, rendering them the most isolated 

 groups of the tribe. The body is in general fully alate, but 

 there are some genera, such as Conoecus, which appear to have 

 vestigial wings. The hind body is usually inflated and gradu- 

 ally very acutely pointed behind, and the basal margin of the 

 elytra frequently becomes obsolescent or wanting, but the scu- 

 tellum is always well developed. The elytral punctures are 

 usually confused or more or less imperfectly serial, although 

 broadly impressed longitudinal lines are frequently evident. 

 The genera known to me may be briefly defined as follows : — 



Epistoma broadly emarginate in even circular arc ; mandibles bifid at 

 tip 2 



Epistoma lobed ; mandibles transversely truncate at tip, folding beneath 

 the labrum, the right usually with a dorsal tooth clasping the 

 labrum, the left generally without dorsal tooth 3 



2 — Prosternum posteriorly produced, acute at tip and closely received 



within a large deep mesosternal excavation. South America and 

 eastern Central America. [Type E. ftisctis Latr.] . . .* EpitragUS 



Prosternum only slightly produced posteriorly, flattened but obtusely 

 rounded at tip and not quite attaining the mesosternum, which is 

 not excavated ; tarsi with pubescent pads beneath, the posterior 

 with the pads very small and apical only, the first joint longer 

 than the fourth. Mexico. [Type Schccnicus vestittis Q\\Vi\x\-^^. 



* Hemasodes 



3 — Prosternum horizontally produced posteriorly, the tip received 



within a large deep mesosternal excavation ; eyes large but not 

 prominent, generally finely faceted and but feebly emarginate 

 anteriorly 4 



Prosternum slightly produced posteriorly and subhorizontal but not 

 attaining the mesosternum, which is at most feebly or moderately 

 impressed. . 11 



