220 



PSYCHE. 



[June 1S9S. 



properly speaking, be considered myr- 

 mecophilous • — "I should say they are 

 certainly a species living with ants. In 

 the early season I find the railway lines, 

 in some places, the best collecting 

 ground. On both sides of the track are 

 stones, under most of which are ants, 

 representing one species and of much 

 the same size and color as these beetles. 

 There have always been ants with the 

 beetles taken, but sometimes even large 

 colonies of ants have furnished no speci- 

 mens of the Stilicus, though as soon as I 

 got to distinguish the beetles from the 

 ants and to know where to look for them, 

 I would usually get one or a pair, if not 

 more,- from each nest, sometimes as 

 many as half a dozen. I have also 

 taken it rarely, under stones, in Septem- 

 ber." 



The evidence is such that we must 

 conclude that the beetle is in some way 

 connected with the ants, since it shows 

 such preference for their company. 

 While other species of Stilicus are found 

 under stones in the spring, it has never 

 been noticed that they are confined to 

 the vicinity of ants' nests. I have there- 

 fore included the insect under consider- 

 ation in our list of myrmecophiles and 

 have drawn up the following description. 

 The name is proposed in recognition of 

 the careful labors of its discoverer 

 among the insects of Manitoba. 



5. hanhami n. sp. Mucli stouter than 5. 

 dentalus, blackish clothed with _yellowish or 

 golden recumbent pubescence. Antennae, 

 mouth-parts, prothorax and legs reddish 

 brown, elvtra of about the same color as the 



prothorax but bearing a large suturo-basal 

 picescent cloud. Abdomen above black, 

 margin paler, tip still lighter in color. Body 

 beneath piceous except the prothorax which 

 is reddish brown and the median and apical 

 tracts of the abdomen which are pale. Head 

 large, subquadrate, sides behind the eyes 

 feebly arcuate, hind angles rounded, base 

 deeply sinuate; above closely punctured, 

 each puncture with a golden hair, forming 

 so close a covering as to obscure the sculp- 

 ture, under side with a distinct smooth 

 impressed median line, the punctuation 

 otherwise resembling that of the dorsal as- 

 pect. Antennae stout, first joint longest, 

 second to fifth longer than wide, sixth to tenth 

 nearly globular, eleventh longer than the 

 tenth and pointed at tip. Teeth of labrum 

 small, slender and prominent. Prothorax 

 broadest in front of middle, sides broadly 

 rounded and narrowing from this point to 

 base which is truncate and with a 'distinct 

 basal marginal line, hind angles not defined ; 

 anteriorly the prothorax narrows rapidly to 

 apex, the sides straight or very slightly sinu- 

 ate. Upper surface convex, rather shining, the 

 punctuation finer than that of the head, not 

 dense, each puncture with a golden hair. 

 Lateral margin with two long bristles and a 

 shorter one near each front angle. Median 

 line distinct. Prosternum carinate, sides 

 punctured and apparently finely transversely 

 rugose. Elytra broader than .the prothorax, 

 punctures fine with hairs like those already 

 described. Abdomen with broad distinct side 

 margin, finely moderately closely punctate 

 and hairy, sides bristly, the bristles on the 

 last three (visible) segments much longer 

 than the others. Under side punctured and 

 pubescent, the golden hairs mixed with 

 numerous longer black ones. Legs punctured 

 and pubescent. Length (total) 4 mm. 



A specimen was sent to Captain 

 Casey who writes that it is near opaculus 

 Lee, but much stouter w-ith a larger 



