SCARAB BEETLE GENUS PSAMMODIUS — CARTWRIGHT 443 



Psammodius malkini Cartwright 



Psammodius malkini Cartwright, Bull. Brooklyn Ent. Soc, vol. 41, p. 90, 1946. 



Oval, moderately shining, rufocastaneous. Antennae pale rufo- 

 testaceous. Head convex, closely moderately verrucose, the granules 

 well developed, occiput smooth. Clypeus moderately, triangularly 

 emarginate, the limiting angles rounded, sides weakly arcuate; genae 

 small but distinct, posteriorly angulate. Eyes normal, well developed. 

 Pronotum slightly lobed basally, width 1.2 mm., length 0.8 mm,, 

 narrower in front, angles obtusely rounded, sides entire, fimbriate 

 basally with fine, short hairs; surface finely, sparsely punctate through- 

 out, an anterior, postapical, transverse line of closely placed, coarse 

 punctures in a groove from one anterior angle to the other, a similar 

 longitudinal, median groove over basal two-thirds, and another of 

 about same length transversely inward from each side, disc otherwise 

 with scattered coarse punctures. Elytra convex, width 1.5 mm., 

 length 1.90 mm., striae deep, coarsely, crenately punctate, intervals 

 wealdy convex, very finely, irregularly punctate. Metasternum 

 smooth, shining, anterior postcoxal line absent, posterior arcuate line 

 obsolete, represented by a weakly impressed area in front of posterior 

 coxal plate, median longitudinal groove fine, scarcely impressed, 

 anteriorly alutaceous and very shallowly, moderately punctate at 

 sides. Abdominal segments sparsely, minutely punctate and very 

 finely alutaceous, apparently not crenate in front. Pygidium smooth, 

 shining, fringed apically with a row of ten long, hairlike setae from 

 moderate punctures. Posterior femur stout, minutely alutaceous, 

 two or tliree setigerous punctures paralleling posterior edge and a 

 similar row along the anterior margin; middle femur not half as wide 

 as posterior, marginal rows of setae strongly developed. Posterior 

 tibia two-fifths as wide as long, transverse ridges absent; posterior 

 spurs narrowly foliaceous, the longer as long as the first two tarsal 

 joints combined ; first tarsal joint elongate-triangular, equal in length 

 to following tliree together. Length 2.8 to 3.3 mm., width 1.5 to 1.6 

 mm. 



Type: USNM 58991. 



Type locality: MacDill Field, Tampa, Fla. 



Specimens examined: 21. 



Distribution: United States: Florida: Tampa, LaBelle, Sanford, 

 Miami. 



Season: May 5 to August 7. 



Remarks: Psammodius malkini Cartwright is nearest P. hydropicus 

 Horn but is not so greatly inflated, the elytral striae are deeper and 

 rather coarsely crenate, the elytral intervals are more convex, the 

 sides of the pronotum are entire, the pronotal punctures are coarser 

 and deeper, and the eyes are well developed. In hydropicus the 

 pronotum has the lateral edges crenate and the eyes are vestigial. 



