FOSSIL COLEOPTERA 21 



P. siNGULARis n. sp. (Plate I, Figs. 5, 6.) Body elongate, form sub- 

 parallel. Head of moderate size, anterior margin not defined, eyes, seen 

 from below, small and coarsely granulated. Antennae equal in length to 

 about one and one-third times the width of the head, slender, if directed 

 backward they would reach slightly beyond the elytral base, apex not in- 

 crassate. Gular region transversely corrugated. Prothorax not sufficiently 

 perfect to show the outline distinctly, the underside is plainly but not 

 coarsely punctured, more sparsely upon the middle than on the flanks. 

 Mesosternum strongly and closely punctured, its side-pieces more finely and 

 sparsely. Metasternum long, apparently finely grooved along the middle 

 line, the punctuation extremely fine, that of the side-pieces more distinct. 

 Elytron a little less than three times as long as wide, narrowing behind the 

 middle, apex bluntly pointed, sculpture consisting of close, regular, distinct, 

 rounded punctures of moderate size, not arranged in stria? although there is 

 some tendency to linear series, a faint indication of two discal flat costae 

 as shown in the sketch. Abdomen with five free segments, the one before 

 the last a little shorter than the others, the entire abdominal ventral surface 

 with fine but distinct scattered punctures. Legs, as far as shown, of moder- 

 ate length. Length, 12.65 mm.; of elytron, 9.00 mm. Greatest width of 

 elytron, 3.20 mm. 



This insect is of great interest, as it introduces into the Floris- 

 sant INIioeene fauna a family not hitherto recognized as one of 

 its constituents. In my mind, there is no doubt of the Pythid 

 affinities. The antenna is of a type found in different genera 

 of the heteromerous series, the reduction in length of the distal 

 joints being the most striking feature. It is remarkable how 

 closely the sculpture of the underside follows that of Pytho 

 americanus and Boros unicolor, while the elytral sculpture is 

 similar to that of the latter species. No one of our three common 

 genera of North American Pythini is followed consistently in all 

 characters. To me, the insect has the underside of Lecontia or 

 Boros with the antennae of Pijtho and may be regarded as a 

 synthetic type. 



The type specimen is an underside, but the elytron (shown 

 separately on the plate, to save space, though in reality it pro- 

 jects out at a wide angle as indicated by the stub in the drawing) 

 is twisted so as to exhibit the upper surface. 



MORDELLISTENA Costtt. 



M. SMITHIANA n. sp. (Plate IV, Fig. 13.) Preserved in side view. 

 Form a little broad, well tapering, anal style moderate in length. Elytra 

 narrowing to apex, not sharply pointed, the length a little more than four 

 times the breadth. Sculpture of entire body extremely fine, scarcely visible. 



