160 CoJeopferoIogical Notices. 



riorly ; median groove very fine but distinct and almost entire ; metasternum 

 shining, very finely, sparsely punctate, the punctures perforate, not larger 

 than those of the sides of the elytra, but rather coarser and denser laterally, 

 separated by from three to five times their own widths. Abdomen more coarsely 

 and very deeply punctate, the punctures very dense laterally, where they are 

 separated by about their own widths, rather finer and distinctly sparser toward 

 the middle, the fifth segment almost completely impunctate except near the 

 base. Length 1.3 mm. 



Florida. Mr. Schvvarz. 



The rather shining surface, black color and coarser, very dense 

 abdominal punctuation will render the identification of this species 

 very easy. The series of longer coarser sette on the elytra, men- 

 tioned under seriatus, are represented here by the marginal series 



PHYSEMUS Lee. 



Regarding the relationship of the three genera Bothriopborus, 

 Physemus and Ditaphrus, the following observations may prove 

 interesting. 



In the remarks appended to the original description of Ditaphrus 

 (Bull. Cal. Acad. Sci., II, pp. 250-25.3), the reasons were given for 

 the separation of the genus from Physemus ; they were based solely 

 upon the original description of the latter as given by Dr. LeConte. 

 After the publication of Ditaphrus the suspicion of its identity with 

 Physemus continued to grow upon me, until I determined to dis- 

 cover the truth if possible by actual observation. I accordingly 

 made a journey at considerable expense from San Francisco to 

 Yuma, incidentally for the purpose of collecting Coleoptera, but 

 especially to rediscover the species Physemus minutvs. Knowing 

 the haunts of Bitajjln-us sci/mnoides in Texas, I did not have to 

 search long before finding LeConte's species in numbers, moving 

 slowly over the surface of moist adobe mud, under debris of fallen 

 leaves. An examination at once revealed the fact — as I had antici- 

 pated — that the two genera are identical in every point of structure, 

 and that the species also are the same, although presenting very 

 slight differences in size and vestiture. 



Wishing to carry the investigation a step further I have procured 

 from M. Desbrochers des Loges, a specimen of the European Both- 

 riopborus Muls., and find on examination that, while resembling 

 Physemus very closely, it differs decidedly in antennal structure. 



