:J^S REVISION OF THE TENEBRIONID.* OF AMERICA, 



Our genera arc four in number, as follows: 



Sides d!' head in front of eyes prominent. 



Eyes partially divided; antenna' ten-jointed. bolitotuerus. 



Eyes entirely divided; antenna- eleven-jointed. BOLITOPHAGUS. 



Sides of head in front of eyes not prominent. 



Eyes distinctly emarginate; thorax margined; margin 



crenulate. eledona. 



Eyes not emarginate; thorax not margined. khipidandrus. 



BOLITOTHERTJS, Candeze. 

 Bolitotherus, Candeze. 

 Phellidius, Lee, Class. Col. X. A., p. 886. 



B. cornutus, Fab., Boletophagus Syst. El. 1, p. 112; Panzer, Opatrum) Fauna Amer. Bor. Prodrom., pi. 1, 

 Sand 6, "J, and 9; bifurcum, Fab., Opatrum) Ent. s_\>t. Supp. 40, I. 



This insect is easily known. The males have two horns, slightly curved and broader 

 at tip, projecting forward from the thorax. The anterior margin of epistoma has a verj 

 short horn, bifid at tip. 



I ,ength .40- 15 inch. 



Occurs abundantly everywhere in the middle belt of States. 



This species appears to be in an unfortunate condition in its synonymy. It appears 

 to have been originally described by Fabricius a- Opatrum bifurcum (Ent. Sy>t. Supp. 

 10, 1), subsequently by Panzer as 0. comutum (Prod. loc. cit.) All subsequent authors 

 appear to have adopted for our insect the name of Fabricius. Trox <<>rn.u! //-•, (Ent. p. SS) 

 and repeated verbatim in his Syst. Eleut. 1. p. 112, referring to an insect from Ceylon. 

 In Svst. El. 1. pp. 112 and 11:!. Fabricius adopts the name of Bolitophagus, and changes 

 without anv reason the specific name bifurevs to cornutus, and refers the insect to Caro- 

 lina. In a notice of some coleopterous larvae (1861, p. 4:5), Candeze at the suggestion of 

 Lacordaire, establishes the genus Bolitotherus and adopts the specific name cornutus, re- 

 ferring to Syst. El. p. 112, on which are two species of this name, and although stating 

 that the perfect insect is well known, Candeze does not state whence it comes. To render 

 the matter still more confused, Harold (Cat. p. 1915) refers < Ipatrum bifurcum, l'z., (cor- 

 iiiitiim. Fab.,) to Bolitophagus, and the Trox cornutus, Fab., of Ceylon, to Bolitotherus. 

 The whole truth is that our large species is a Bolitotherus, whether the specific name be 

 blfurcus or cornutus. It is to be desired that this confusion may be rectified. From my 

 own study 1 am inclined to adopt the synonymy as given by Harold (Catal. liMI and o), 

 with the removal of the II. bifurcus, Fab., {cornutus, Panz.,) from Bolitophagus to Bolito- 

 therus. Such a change compels us to drop a very well known specific name, adopting 

 another almost entirely lost sight of. 



