434 Coleopterological Notices. 



Mule. — Anterior tarsi moderately strongly dilated, the second joint not 

 greatly exceeding the third in length, the latter strongly emarginate ; inter- 

 mediate somewhat feebly hut distinctly dilated ; abdomen narrowly and very 

 distinctly impressed in the middle toward base. 



Length 4.8-5.8 mm. ; width 2.0-2.4 mm. 



California (Newhall) ; Lower California. 



The two representatives of this species do not indicate any great 

 variability other than that due to sex. The species may be dis- 

 tinguished from castaneus by its greater convexity, still larger and 

 very conspicuous eyes, finer, less coalescent punctuation of the 

 pronotum, more feebly arcuate sides of the latter and several other 

 less important characters. The hind wings protrude slightly beyond 

 the elytra in the type. 



13 It. prateiisis Lee. — Col. of Kans., 1859, p. 15. — Oval, very convex, 

 black ; legs piceous ; lustre rather dull and alutaceous ; pubescence somewhat 

 dense, short and very robust, pale fulvo-cinereous and conspicuous. Head 

 finely, deeply, very densely and somewhat confusedly punctate, the punctures 

 becoming very minute anteriorly and at the sides ; epistoma broadly, moder- 

 ately sinuate ; upper lobe of eyes small ; antennae rather slender, outer joints 

 gradually incrassate, third shorter than the next two together. Prothorax but 

 slightly more than one-half wider than long, rather strongly narrowed from 

 base to apex ; sides evenly and strongly arcuate ; base transverse, moderately 

 bisinuate ; basal angles not rounded ; apex very feebly emarginate in circular 

 arc ; disk very densely, not very coarsely punctate, the punctures tending to 

 coalesce longitudinally toward the sides, distinctly separated in the middle. 

 Scutellum rather small. Elytra scarcely more than two and one-half times as 

 long as the prothorax and, behind the middle, a little wider than the latter, 

 rather coarsely striate, the striae strongly impressed especially toward the 

 sides, rather coarsely and very closely punctate, more finely so toward the 

 suture ; intervals finely and rather densely punctured. Abdomen polished, 

 somewhat coarsely and not very sparsely punctured ; pubescence very short, 

 sparse and inconspicuous. Legs rather slender. 



Male. — Anterior tarsi strongly, middle more feebly, dilated ; abdomen rather 

 narrowly and feebly impressed in the middle toward base. 



Leng h 4.8-6.0 mm. ; width 2.2-2.8 mm. 



Kansas; Colorado; Nebraska; Texas. 



The extensive series before me is rather heterogeneous and almost 

 undoubtedly comprises several distinct varietal forms, the descrip- 

 tion refers to the typical form from Kansas, which is rather smaller 

 than those from Colorado and very much smaller than the Texan 

 representatives. There is a marked divergence, also, in the close- 

 ness of the strial punctuation, the punctures generally being sepa- 



