1911] 



Wheeler — Melaneiwrms Injernalis 



113 



with the type, so that there is nothing to add to Fall's excellent 

 description. The accompanying figure shows the generic charac- 

 ters of Melanetdrius as distinguished from those of Hetcerius, viz. 

 the absence of the elytral striae and longitudinal thoracic grooves, 

 the peculiar shape of the sides of the thorax, the remarkable legs 

 with the elongate grooves at the dilated apices of the tibiae for the 

 accommodation of the reflexible tarsi, the remarkable folded hind 

 tibiae and the foveolate or coarsely punctate surface of much of the 

 body. 



The sides of the elytra bear stubby yellow hairs and the legs 

 and tips of the median thoracic tubercles have pointed hairs of the 



Fig. 1. Melanetceruis injernalis Fall. 



same color. All these hairs are probably ant-alluring in function. 

 It is, moreover, not improbable that the foveolae are connected with 

 exudate glands, but without a study of sections, this statement 

 cannot be substantiated. 



The typical form of Pheidole lujaiti is very common in southern 

 California, especially in the neighborhood of Pasadena, Claremont 

 and Santa Barbara, where it nests in dry, open fields, usually under 

 rather large stones but sometimes in obscure crater nests about the 

 roots of plants in the chaparral. After finding the Melanetcerius 

 in two nests, I carefully searched all the Pheidole colonies which 

 I encountered — several hundred in number — but the beetle was 



