AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 129 



Reference should be made at this point to a small series of speci- 

 mens labelled "Hedobia sp." in the National Museum collection. 

 These specimens were found emerging from Japanese bamboo in the 

 Museum many years ago and would not require mention but for the 

 fact that a single specimen has recently been taken by Mr. F. C. 

 Pratt at St. Elmo, Virginia, a few miles below Washington. Accord- 

 ing to Mr. Schwarz, who has investigated the matter, the beetle is 

 undescribed, but I am unwilling to give it a name and place on our 

 lists until further experience shows that it has really established 

 itself with us. The reference of this insect to the Hedobiini is 

 apparently correct, but it is not an Hedobia, and doubtless a new 

 genus will have to be erected for it. From Hedobia it differs among 

 other characters of lesser note in its pectinate antennae (at least in 

 the male), its margined thorax and vertical exposed pygidium. The 

 last named character is truly a remarkable one and does not occur 

 in any other Ptinide genus known to me. It may, perhaps, be con- 

 sidered of sufficient importance to exclude the species from the 

 Hedobiini, but if not, the presence or absence of the prothoracic side 

 margin can no longer be held to be of tribal value. 



HEDOBIA Latreille. 



Mentum triangular, labrum very short and transverse, scarcely 

 sinuate in front; palpi short, basal joint smallest, not at all curved ; 

 second and third joints obconic and a little elongate; terminal joint 

 longer, widest beyond the middle, compressed, the apex truncate 

 when viewed on the compressed side. Antennae inserted at the 

 sides of the front before the eyes, filiform, moderately compressed ; 

 basal joint oval, stout, a little longer than wide ; second joint shorter ; 

 3-10 subequal, subtriangular, the third as long as the first, the outer 

 ones slightly longer, the eleventh noticeably longer than the tenth. 

 Head deflexed ; eyes globose, prominent, but not large; front not 

 margined over the base of the antennae. Prothorax narrower than 

 the elytra, without side margin, not excavate beneath. Elytra par- 

 allel in both sexes, confusedly punctate. Prosternum without inter- 

 coxal process; mesosternum short, oblique, the coxae narrowly sepa- 

 rated ; metasternum as long as the first two ventral segments; hind 

 coxae not sulcate, narrowly separated, the intercoxal process acute. 

 Ventral segments subequal, the third and fourth just visibly shorter ; 

 the first not nan-owed appreciably by the coxae. Legs rather short 



TRANS. AM. ENT. SOC. XXXI. (17) APRIL, 1905. 



