﻿OF 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  451 
  

  

  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  fourth. 
  The 
  front 
  is 
  slightly 
  concave 
  as 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  preceding 
  species, 
  a 
  

   character 
  which 
  with 
  the 
  finer 
  and 
  denser 
  punctuation 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  and 
  presternum, 
  will 
  

   readily 
  distinguish 
  this 
  from 
  the 
  next 
  species. 
  The 
  legs 
  seem 
  subject 
  to 
  variation 
  in 
  co- 
  

   lour: 
  sometimes 
  they 
  are 
  bright 
  testaceous 
  yellow, 
  and 
  sometimes 
  very 
  dark 
  piceous. 
  A 
  

   typical 
  specimen 
  of 
  Athous 
  ameolus 
  furnished 
  me 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Melsheimer 
  is 
  a 
  male 
  of 
  the 
  va- 
  

   riety 
  with 
  dark 
  legs. 
  

  

  G. 
  A. 
  decoloratus, 
  piceo-nigor, 
  clongatus, 
  cinereo-pubescens, 
  fronte 
  plana, 
  non 
  concava, 
  thorace 
  

   convexiusculo, 
  latitudine 
  longiore, 
  subtiliter 
  punctato, 
  angulis 
  posticis 
  subdivergentibus, 
  elytris 
  (srepe 
  

   testaceis) 
  striis 
  profundis 
  vix 
  punctatis, 
  interstitiis 
  subconvexis, 
  parce 
  subtiliter 
  punctulatis, 
  antennis 
  

   (basi 
  saepe 
  rufis) 
  articulo 
  3 
  io 
  vix 
  dilatato, 
  4'° 
  paulo 
  breviore, 
  pedibus 
  vel 
  testaceis 
  vel 
  nigris. 
  Lon<* 
  

  

  or 
  c 
  ° 
  

  

  Elater 
  decoloratus 
  Say, 
  Trans. 
  Am. 
  Phil. 
  Soc. 
  G, 
  180. 
  

  

  Middle, 
  Eastern, 
  and 
  Western 
  States.. 
  Distinguished 
  from 
  the 
  preceding 
  by 
  the 
  punc- 
  

   tuation 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  being 
  more 
  distinct, 
  the 
  thorax 
  itself 
  less 
  convex, 
  and 
  the 
  front 
  not 
  

   concave, 
  although 
  marked 
  with 
  two 
  faint 
  impressions; 
  the 
  third 
  joint 
  of 
  the 
  antennas 
  ap- 
  

   pears 
  less 
  dilated: 
  in 
  the 
  male 
  it 
  is 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  the 
  fourth; 
  in 
  the 
  female 
  somewhat 
  shorter; 
  

   the 
  sides 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  are 
  almost 
  straight 
  in 
  the 
  male, 
  while 
  in 
  the 
  female 
  they 
  are 
  

   rounded 
  before 
  the 
  middle. 
  Among 
  the 
  specimens 
  in 
  my 
  collection 
  arc 
  three 
  well 
  marked 
  

   types, 
  which, 
  however, 
  are 
  not 
  sufficiently 
  distinct 
  to 
  stand 
  as 
  species: 
  

  

  «. 
  Corpus 
  nigrum, 
  elytris 
  testaceis, 
  pedibus 
  testaceis, 
  vel 
  fusco-testaceis. 
  {El. 
  dec. 
  Say.) 
  

   s. 
  Corpus 
  nigrum, 
  pedibus, 
  antennisque 
  basi 
  flavo-testaceis. 
  {El. 
  xanthopus 
  \. 
  Harris.) 
  

   '/. 
  Corpus 
  nigrum, 
  antennis 
  pedibusque 
  nigro-piceis. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  first 
  variety, 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  antennas 
  is 
  sometimes 
  almost 
  testaceous; 
  of 
  variety 
  

   Q3) 
  I 
  have 
  seen 
  only 
  females, 
  and 
  of 
  {<y) 
  only 
  males. 
  

  

  7. 
  A. 
  indistinctus, 
  piceo-niger, 
  elongatus 
  cinereo-pubescens, 
  fronte 
  concava, 
  thorace 
  latitudine 
  

   longiore, 
  subtiliter, 
  medio 
  fere 
  obsolete 
  punctato, 
  angulis 
  posticis 
  subdivergentibus, 
  elytris 
  striis 
  punc- 
  

   tatis, 
  interstitiis 
  fere 
  planis, 
  subtiliter 
  parce 
  punctulatis, 
  pedibus 
  testaceis, 
  antennis 
  articulo 
  3'° 
  non 
  

   dilatato 
  (feminre 
  2" 
  do 
  vix 
  longiore.) 
  Long. 
  # 
  45. 
  

  

  One 
  specimen, 
  Georgia, 
  with 
  the 
  thorax 
  moderately 
  convex, 
  and 
  the 
  sides 
  rounded 
  

   before 
  the 
  middle. 
  Easily 
  distinguished 
  from 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  varieties 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  preceding 
  

   species, 
  by 
  the 
  finer 
  and 
  more 
  distant 
  punctures 
  of 
  the 
  thorax, 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  concave 
  front. 
  

  

  B. 
  Tlwrax 
  fissinis 
  bascdihus 
  nullis, 
  angulis 
  posticis 
  non 
  carinatis. 
  

  

  " 
  8. 
  A. 
  melanoph 
  thalmus, 
  castaneus, 
  vel 
  rufo-piceus, 
  helvo-pubescens, 
  thorace 
  confertim 
  punc- 
  

   tato, 
  latitudine 
  longiore, 
  ante 
  basin 
  paulo 
  latiore, 
  angulis 
  posticis 
  parvis 
  acutis, 
  obsolete 
  canaliculato 
  

   elytris 
  striis 
  antice 
  punctatis, 
  interstitiis 
  planis 
  minus 
  dense 
  punctatis, 
  pedibus 
  pallidioribus, 
  antenna 
  

   rum 
  articulo 
  ultimo 
  constricto. 
  Long. 
  -6 
  — 
  -7. 
  

  

  Athous 
  melanopldhalmus 
  Melsheimer, 
  Proc. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sc. 
  2, 
  154. 
  

  

  Middle 
  States, 
  rare; 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  species 
  of 
  this 
  division, 
  the 
  front 
  is 
  slightly 
  con- 
  

   cave. 
  This 
  and 
  the 
  following 
  species 
  are 
  so 
  closely 
  related, 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  very 
  difficult 
  to 
  

   point 
  out 
  sufficient 
  characters 
  to 
  distinguish 
  them; 
  the 
  differences 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  the 
  

   thorax 
  in 
  the 
  sexes 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  species, 
  also 
  complicate 
  the 
  subject, 
  as 
  the 
  precise 
  sexual 
  

  

  