SCARAB BEETLE GENUS PSAJVIMODIUS — CARTWRIGHT 421 



tibia short and heavy, shorter than femur, apex half as wide as length 

 of tibia, spurs short, somewhat foliaceous, the longer not equal to first 

 three tarsal joints combined. Length 4 mm., width 2 mm. 



Type: Location unknown to me. 



Type locality: Southern France. 



Specimens examined: 12. 



Distribution: Maryland: Chesapeake Beach and Kenwood 

 Beach. ''D. C." 



Season: August 29 to September 17. 



Remarks: This species, probably accidently introduced from Europe, 

 possibly in ships ballast, is found along Chesapeake Bay under debris 

 and among grass roots in sand along the beaches. It has not been 

 reported previously from the United States. Psammodius basalis 

 (Mulsant and Rey) may be separated from the closely allied species, 

 P. sulcicollis (Illiger) and P. laevipennis A. Costa, by the lack of a basal 

 margin and fimbriate edges of the elytra, the lack of anterior crenation 

 or erosion of the terminal abdominal segment, and the very short 

 metasternum. The earliest date seen for an American specimen was 

 Sept. 16, 1921. 



Psammodius sulcicollis (Illiger) 



Aphodius sulcicollis Illiger, Mag. Insektenk., vol. 1, p. 20, 1802. 



Psammodius sulcicollis Fallen, Observationes entomologicae, fasc. 3, p. 37, 1807. — 



Gyllenhal, Insecta svecica, vol. 1, p. 9, 1808. 

 Psammobius sulcicollis Heer, Faiina coleoptorum helvetica, vol. 1, fasc. 3, p. 531, 



1841. — ^Schmidt, Coleoptera, Aphodiinae. Das Tierreich (Deutsche Zool. 



Ges.), pt. 45, p. 473, 1922. 



Oblong oval, moderatel^^ shining, piceous. Antennae pale rufo- 

 testaceous. Legs dark castaneous. Head convex, moderately verru- 

 cose, occiput with two grooves arranged in chevron separated by an 

 elevated ridge. Clypeus broadly, shallowly, triangularly emarginate, 

 the angles each side rounded, sides nearly straight, genae small, 

 rounded, set off by a deep notch at clypeal suture. Pronotum, 

 slightly narrower in front, width 1.3 mm., length 0.9 mm., all angles 

 obtusely rounded, base margined, distinctly lobed at middle, sides and 

 base fimbriate with club-shaped setae, sides crenate; surface with four 

 coarsely, closely punctate transverse furrows and traces of a fifth 

 basally, separated by smooth ridges, the ridges with scattered, minute 

 punctures, the two basal ridges interrupted by the deep, coarsely 

 punctate median, longitudinal line. Elytra at base as wide as pro- 

 notum, width 1.6 mm., length 2.3 mm., sides nearly straight, slightly 

 divergent to posterior fourth; striae wide, moderately deep, punctures 

 coarse, shallow, slightly crenating the intervals, under high magnifi- 

 cation each puncture appearing alutaceous with a minute median 

 granule; intervals smooth with a median row of close, minute punctures, 

 convex on disc, the shortened tenth interval flat or very slightly con- 



32701ft— 55 2 



