456 Coleopterclofjical Notices, VI. 



transverse eniai>;i nation of the prothorax ; antennal foveas extremely remotely 

 separated, very near the eyes and represented from above by small emarj^i na- 

 tions, the eyes in contact with the advanced apical angles of the prothorax ; 

 antenna? not as long as the width of the head. Prothorax short and strongly 

 transverse, about three times as wide as long, the sides strongly convergent 

 and feebly arcuate from the Imse, the advanced apical angles rounded ; basal 

 angles slightly more tlian right and not distinctly rounded ; ])ase broadly 

 arcuate. Eliitra ahowt as long as wide, evenly oval, the sides continuovis in 

 curvature Avith those of the prothorax, the suture about three times as long as 

 the latter and margined with a line feeble line which becomes obsolete near 

 the base. Hind wings well developed. Length 1.0 mm.; width 0.6 mm. 



Florida (Dry Tortugas). Mr. H. F. Wickham. 



It is probable that this species will prove to be widely distrib- 

 uted through the West Indies, and by no means confined to the 

 small sand}^ islet near Key West. I have before me a single 

 rather ill-conditioned specimen. 



MELYRID.E. 



After careful study of the considerable material in ni}- cabinet, 

 I can see no cause to doubt the soundness of Motschulsky's 

 opinion (Bull. Mosc, 1859, p. 388) that the melyrides should con- 

 stitute a family distinct from the Malachiidffi; their entire habitus 

 is different, and the most important of the special peculiarities of 

 the Malachiid}>?, viz., the extensible vesicles, is completely un- 

 known among them ; their integuments, furthermore, are hard and 

 thick, and resemble those of the Cleridie rather than the Mala- 

 chiidiB. The Melyridj\^ constitute a moderately large family, 

 which is so homogeneous that it is ditlicult to find man\' valid 

 characters to define even the genera, and the groups higher than 

 genera are ver}'^ few in number. The species are exceedingly 

 abundant west of the 100th meridian, and increase in number and 

 variet}' to the westward, following the same law as the Hetero- 

 mera, except that they are relatively more abundant perhaps in 

 the true Pacific coast fauna. The famil}' is essentially subarctic, 

 and is ver^- poorh' represented south of our Mexican boundary. 



It is not necessary to allude in the present preliminary essay to 

 the general structural details of the famil}^ as these are given 

 with sufi[icient fullness in many systematic works, and also be- 

 cause all those structures which, by reason of diversification ap- 

 parently afiord eflScient means of grouping the species, are men- 



