42 Mr. G. C. Champion's Revision of the Mexican 



placed them, but his Anihocomi, A. discimacula excepted, 

 belong to Attains (type A. lusitanicus, Er.) as here under- 

 stood, and his Ehaeus aeneovirens also. The key to the 

 identification of the fifty-two species here dealt with is 

 mainly based upon the colour, sculpture and vestiture of 

 the elytra, so as to include both male and female, one sex 

 or the other of many of them not being represented in the 

 material before me. The colour of the head, prothorax, 

 and legs is often variable, and that of the head and legs 

 sometimes differs sexually; characters taken from these 

 portions of the insect are, therefore, apt to be misleading. 

 Gorham called attention to the peculiarly shaped tro- 

 chanters of the male of A. caraboides (suggestive of certain 

 species of Silphidae), and to the apically elongated posterior 

 tibiae of the female of A. fuscescens {= calcaratus), an 

 insect here transferred to Anthocomus; but the last- 

 mentioned character is still present in one species of 

 Attains, A. various . A. coelestinns and A. mexicanus (hke 

 Tanaops, Lee), want the upper lobe to the second anterior 

 tarsal joint of the male, but they can remain for the present 

 under Attains. A. nitidiceps, A. connexns, etc., have an 

 elongated head as in Tanaops, but they have the antennae 

 inserted near the anterior margin of the head. Eighteen of 

 the twenty-seven new species now added are represented by 

 single examples showing that many others must occur in 

 the region. The names of two species described by Gorham 

 {sericans and limhatns) are preoccupied for European forms 

 and have to be changed. 



Key to the Mexican and Central American species of 

 Attalus. 



o. Anterior tarsi of (J with joints 1 and 2 

 thickened, oblique, 2 lobed above, 2 and 

 3 freely articulated. 

 a^. Anterior tarsi of c? with joints 1 and 2 

 clearly separated; posterior tibiae 

 of 5 sometimes slightly produced at 

 inner apical angle (A. nigroaeneus 

 and A. laevifrons.) 

 a^. Elytra depressed or feebly convex to 

 near apex, usually narrower and 

 less dilated posteriorly in J. 

 a^. Elytra not plicate or carinate 

 laterally ; palpi slender. 



