new Species of Histeridje. 55 



with Paykull's figure and description, except that the second 

 and third dorsal striae are not united. Paykull's specimen 

 was evidently a monstrosity. The prosternal keel is micro- 

 scopically strigose; the mesosternum is feebly and rather 

 widely sinuous, and the marginal stria is widely interrupted, 

 not reaching the sinuosity, but across the mesosternum there 

 is an independent arched stria which reaches its base and is 

 continued laterally and sinuously along the metasternum. 



Hister asoka, sp. n. 

 Ovalis, convexus, niger, nitidus; fronte impunctata, stria in medio 



anguste interrupta ; pronoto utrinque grosse punctato ; elytris 



striis 1-4 integris, 5 abbreviata ; propygidio pygidioque 



punctulatis. 

 L 8| mill. 



Oval, convex, black and shining ; the head impunctate, 

 frontal stria semicircular but slightly interrupted in the middle; 

 the thorax with large punctures laterally, punctures most 

 numerous behind the anterior angles, a little before the 

 middle on either side is a large but shallow impression, 

 lateral stria almost complete but a little shortened at its base ; 

 the elytra, stria 1-4 complete but the second and fourth do 

 not touch the base, 5 apical nearly dimidiate and sometimes 

 a little broken or punctiform, sutural indica edby fine 

 punctures at and behind the middle, subhumeral dimidiate; 

 the mesosternum is sinuous and marginate; anterior tibiae 



J " This Species belongs to a section of the genus which should 

 include Hister ariasi and jekeli, Mars., and H. aino, Lew., 

 and they all infest old trees. The species agree in having the 

 inner dorsal stria more or less fine and punctiform and ariasi 

 and aino are similar in having the head punctured behind the 

 frontal stria. The trivial name will recall to memory that ot 

 the ruler of India in the third century B.C. 



The four species mentioned above would be placed in 

 Motschulsky's genus Pactolinus should it ever be characterized 



an i/at° P I)e d hra Dun, United Provinces, India. Found under 

 the bark of spruce by Mr. E. P. Stebbing. 



Hister Virginia, Casey. An example I have received 

 from America labelled Virginia is Hister »^« w ^ ^ 

 a species common to both the Old and New World. Whether 

 it agrees with Casey's type I cannot say. 



