Coleopterological Notices. 419 



It is hoped that. the following table which is founded upon very 

 extensive material, 1 may enable the reader to recognize most of our 

 species, but I am only too well aware, because of the considerable 

 number of forms which from lack of material I have left undescribed, 

 that there may be some doubt regarding absolute identifications in 

 some parts of the series. It is to be understood of course that in a 

 genus containing many species, and especially where each species is 

 abundant in individuals as is generally the case in Blapstinus, that 

 its members cannot all be equally pronounced or isolated, some of the 

 forms having more nearly the nature of varieties or incipient species 

 than others ; but as it is quite impossible to conceive of any definite 

 criterion for distinguishing varieties from true species, — if indeed 

 there is any clearly limited line of demarcation, — I have preferred 

 at present to describe each form separately. It may be stated, how- 

 ever, that the two strongly marked forms pulverulentus of the true 

 Pacific fauna and rufipes of the San Diego fauna, are each the 

 centre of several closely allied but apparently distinct species, pro- 

 bably developed in comparatively recent times, the first group con- 

 sisting of sequalis, funebris, pulverulentus, parallelus and inquisi- 

 tus, and the second of crassicornis, rufipes and elorigalvs; a vast 

 amount of study must be expended upon these and other derivative 

 forms before anything definite can be known about their true rela- 

 tionships. Interruptus also seems to be a species in process of 

 disruption into geographical races, but in this case the various 

 forms are not distinctly limited : — 



Color uniform throughout or with the anterior portions rarely just perceptihly 



darker 2 



Color ferruginous, the elytra black 23 



2. — Anterior tarsi strongly dilated in the male 3 



Anterior tarsi of the male feebly dilated, sometimes undilated 1(5 



3. — Form elliptical, convex ; surface smooth but very dull and evenly aluta- 



ceous ; pubescence completely wanting, represented by excessively minute 



setae only clearly definable under rather high power and extremely sparse ; 



hind wings very rudimentary, the elytra almost completely connate 4 



Form more or less oblong, variable in convexity ; surface dull or polished ; 



pubescence always represented by distinct elongate hairs 5 



4. — Punctures of the elytral striae extremely feeble, fine and sublinear, the 



striae not distinctly impressed 1 allltaceilS 



Punctures coarse, rounded, very deeply impressed; stria? strongly impressed, 



coarse 2 dispar 



1 The material before me comprises more than four hundred specimens. 

 Ansal3 N. Y. Acad. Sci., V, Nov. 1890.— 2S 



