AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 599 



2. M. PURPUREUS. — Ovate, black; elytra purple. 



Tuliabits Indiana. 



Body black : head with distinct punctures ; front with an in- 

 dented, [165] abbreviated line placed low down : thorax with 

 scattered discoidal punctures ; no lateral indentation : elytra pur- 

 ple ; indented at the middle of the base and behind the hume- 

 rus ; punctures rather large but not deeply impressed, placed in 

 series and obsolete behind : tibias angulated. 



Length under three-twentieths of an inch. 



This insect is certainly congeneric with the preceding, but it 

 cannot be placed in Trachf/s, or even in Aphanisticus, if imsHliia, 

 Olivier, can be considered as a type of it. 



APHANISTICUS Latr. 



A. GRACILIS nob. ( Trachf/s) Ann. Lye. New York. — The tho- 

 rax is not laterally dilated and reflected. 



[Belongs to Taphrocerus Solier, which is united with Brachys 

 by Lacordaire. — Lec] 



MELASIS Oliv. 



M. NIGRICORNIS nob., Journ. A. N. S. 



I was deterred from referring this species to Ceropliytum Latr., 

 by the character "le penulti^me article des tarses bifide. Le 

 corps est ovale." Our insect cannot therefore be the Melash 

 picea Beauv., which is referred to Ceropliytum. 



ELATER L. 



•|- Tard not lohecl heneath. 



1. E. oblessus nob. (discoideus Fabr.)— The Fabrician 

 phrase, when describing the elytra, is, '' elytra striata, atra, mar- 

 gine baseos lateralique late albo ;" but as the whitish portion 

 occupies about two-thirds of the whole surface and might lead to 

 error, it would be better to say, elytra whitish, with the sutu- 

 ral margin and exterior edge, excepting at base, black . 



I change the Fabrician name, because it is preoccupied by 

 Weber for a very different species of this country.* 



* Dr. Harris says tliat WelDer's species here referred to, is the hamatm 

 of Fabricius ; and that Mr. Say does not seem to have known the Elater 

 discoideus of Fabricius, which is quite distinct from the above named 

 oblessus. 



1836.] 



