142 AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 



MALACHIUS Fab. 

 31. uniforniis, new name ; = inomatus Fall. 



At the time of describing this species I overlooked the 

 fact that the name given was already in use for a Palearctic 

 species ; the above change is therefore proposed. 



31. .spiiiipeimis and 31. acutipeimis. 



In addition to the antennal and elytral sexual characters, 

 the males of these two species agree in possessing two other 

 characters which are nearly peculiar. The inner face of the 

 posterior femora is densely acutely granulose in its lower 

 half for two-thirds its length from the base, and the posterior 

 tibiae are rather conspicuously pilose on the inner side for a 

 short distance at apex, the hairs being quite short however. 

 This latter character is feebly indicated in the males of some 

 other species of the genus. M. spiniptnnis shows a decided 

 tendency toward the formation of local races, specimens 

 from different parts of California differing quite a little in 

 size, color, extent of the thoracic spot and length of the an- 

 tennal pectinations. It is quite possible that we have several 

 closely allied species under this name. 



The following three species seem surely different from any 

 previously described. 



31. contortns n. sp. 



Rather stout, head, prothorax, under surface and legs bluish-black, 

 the prothorax with a narrow pale margin, which is a little dilated at 

 the posterior angles, and becomes obsolete or very narrow toward the 

 middle of the base and apex ; elytra deep blue, the tip yellow in the 

 female. Pubescence very short, gray, surface lustre dull. Head and 

 prothorax very finely alutaceous and finely punctulate, the latter feebly 

 shining ; elytra scabrous and not distinctly punctate. 



Male. Antennae moderately serrate, joints 3 and 4 as wide as long, 

 the following joints gradually narrower. Elytra impressed at the 

 sutural angle and produced on a lower plane in a gradually narrowed 

 process pale grayish testaceous in color, the tip sooty and narrowly 

 rounded ; inferior plate broad, bidentate at tip and with an elongate 

 and very irregular process attached at its base close to the sutural 

 margin ; this process and the inferior plate projecting beyond the 

 superior appendix and concolorous with it. 



Female. Antenna? slightly shorter and distinctly narrower, feebly 



