SCARAB BEETLE GENUS PSAMMODIUS — CARTWRIGHT 417 



Key to the species of Psammodius in the Western Hemisphere 



Pronotum with more or less distinct transverse grooves; clypeus usually 

 deeply acutely notclied or triangularly emarginate with each side weakly 

 subdentate, obtusely aiigulate or rounded 2 



Pronotum without distinct transverse grooves; clypeus usually distinctly 

 dentate each side of a wide shallow emargination 24 



Occiput with deep oblique grooves arranged in chevron; five thoracic ridges 

 sharply defined, at least first two complete from side to side 3 



Occiput without oblique grooves or with thoracic grooves not sharply defined 

 from side to side 5 



Last abdominal segment eroded anteriorly; elytral margins not noticeably 

 fimbriate; width of posterior femur as long as middle line of metasternum; 

 posterior tibia about 3 times as long as wide; elytra margined 

 basally 4 



Last abdominal segment smooth anteriorly; elytral margins fimbriate with 

 long hair; elytra not margined basally; posterior femur wider than length 

 of middle fine of metasternum; posterior tibia 2}i times as long as wide; 

 Maryland basalis (Mulsant and Rey) 



Pronotum fimbriate with clavate setae, the ends frequently split; Pennsyl- 

 vania and New Jersey sulcicoUis (Illiger) 



Pronotum fimbriate with fine, sharply pointed hairs; Maryland, Virginia, 

 Indiana laevipennis A. Costa 



Elongate punctures covering entire surface of lateral pronotol convexity, 

 tuberculate within anterior angles 6 



Lateral convexity of pronotum smooth 11 



Elytra dull, noticeably, strongly alutaceous; intervals weakly tectiform, 

 strongly crenate along inner edge; coarse punctures of pronotum close but 

 distinct, arranged in four transverse furrows, the third furrow twice as 

 wide as the others; Mexico culminatus Bates 



Elytra shining, sometimes finely alutaceous 7 



Elytral intervals with a row of distinct punctures near the outer edge and 

 unusually deeply crenate along the inner edge; pronotum confusedly punc- 

 tate-rugose throughout; Mexico saltilloensis, new species 



Elytral intervals without row of punctures along outer edge 8 



Fifth transverse pronotal ridge completely broken up into tubercles; pro- 

 notum with entire surface roughly punctate-rugose but with four transverse 

 furrows more coarsely punctate and evident; elytral intervals weakly tecti- 

 form, the ridges vaguely tuberculate; Mexico, Wyoming to Kansas. 



mimeticus (Fall) 



Fifth transverse pronotal ridge usually quite distinct, sometimes roughly 

 punctate but not completely broken into tubercles 9 



Middle transverse pronotal ridges punctate-rugose; elytral intervals weakly 

 tectiform, the ridges vaguely tuberculate; with an interrupted transverse 

 occipital row of close, fine to medium punctures starting above each eye; 

 Wyoming to New York to Georgia interruptus Say 



Transverse pronotal ridges relatively smooth, very finely punctate; discal 

 intervals of elytra usually smoothly convex; occiput smooth above 

 eyes 10 



Punctures of median longitudinal line of pronotum usually more or less com- 

 pletely fused and run together, much finer than those of the transverse 

 furrows; color piceous; larger species 2.9 to 3.8 mm.; Texas, Mexico, 

 Honduras werneri, new species 



