﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION 
  

  

  U. 
  S. 
  NATIONAL 
  MUSEUM 
  

  

  Vol. 
  103 
  Washington: 
  1953 
  No. 
  3317 
  

  

  BEETLES 
  OF 
  THE 
  OEDEMERID 
  GENUS 
  VASACES 
  

   CHAMPION 
  

  

  By 
  Ross 
  H. 
  Arnett, 
  Jr.^ 
  

  

  Champion 
  (1889) 
  described 
  the 
  genus 
  Vasaces 
  for 
  three 
  species 
  from 
  

   Central 
  America. 
  One 
  species, 
  Vasaces 
  aeneipe'nnis 
  , 
  was 
  described 
  

   from 
  material 
  from 
  Mexico, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  two, 
  Vasaces 
  sordidus 
  and 
  

   Vasaces 
  costatus, 
  were 
  described 
  from 
  Guatemala. 
  

  

  Since 
  the 
  completion 
  of 
  my 
  revision 
  of 
  the 
  Nearctic 
  Oedemeridae 
  

   (Amer. 
  Midi. 
  Nat., 
  vol. 
  45, 
  pp. 
  257-391, 
  1951), 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  several 
  

   specimens 
  of 
  Vasaces 
  collected 
  by 
  J. 
  N. 
  Knull 
  in 
  Arizona 
  and 
  Texas. 
  

   This 
  genus 
  has 
  not 
  previously 
  been 
  recorded 
  from 
  North 
  America, 
  

   north 
  of 
  Mexico. 
  In 
  addition, 
  a 
  few 
  specimens 
  from 
  Central 
  America, 
  

   in 
  the 
  collections 
  of 
  the 
  U. 
  S. 
  National 
  Museum 
  and 
  the 
  Museum 
  of 
  

   Comparative 
  Zoology, 
  have 
  been 
  available 
  to 
  me 
  for 
  study. 
  

  

  The 
  present 
  paper, 
  based 
  on 
  all 
  available 
  material, 
  with 
  the 
  excep- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  Champion 
  type 
  specimens, 
  adds 
  four 
  new 
  species 
  to 
  the 
  

   genus. 
  A 
  key 
  to 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  included, 
  and 
  the 
  position 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  

   in 
  relation 
  to 
  other 
  oedemerid 
  genera 
  is 
  discussed. 
  

  

  I 
  wish 
  to 
  thank 
  Mr. 
  J. 
  N. 
  Knull, 
  Ohio 
  State 
  University, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  

   P. 
  J. 
  Darlington, 
  Museum 
  of 
  Comparative 
  Zoology, 
  for 
  the 
  loan 
  of 
  

   material 
  used 
  in 
  this 
  study. 
  

  

  'Bureau 
  of 
  Entomology 
  and 
  Plant 
  Quarantine, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Department 
  of 
  Agriculture. 
  

  

  232714—53 
  87 
  

  

  