﻿OF 
  THE 
  UNITED 
  STATES. 
  493 
  

  

  latcribus 
  parallelis 
  apice 
  rotundatis, 
  sat 
  dense 
  punctata, 
  elytris 
  a 
  basi 
  angustatis, 
  apice 
  mucronatis, 
  sat 
  

   dense 
  punctatis, 
  vix 
  obsolctissime 
  striatis. 
  Long. 
  1 
  - 
  10. 
  

  

  Germ. 
  Zeitschr. 
  5, 
  183. 
  

  

  Pristilophus? 
  sordidua 
  Mels. 
  Troe. 
  Acad. 
  Nat. 
  Sc. 
  2, 
  216. 
  

  

  Southern 
  States, 
  not 
  common. 
  It 
  is 
  strange 
  that 
  Germar 
  should 
  not 
  have 
  recognised 
  

   the 
  relation 
  with 
  certain 
  species 
  placed 
  by 
  him 
  in 
  Pristilophus. 
  The 
  resemblance 
  in 
  the 
  

   form 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  gives 
  the 
  insect 
  somewhat 
  the 
  appearance 
  of 
  a 
  gigantic 
  Dolopius. 
  

  

  Melanactes 
  Lcc. 
  

  

  Frons 
  depressa, 
  antice 
  rotundata, 
  vix 
  marginata; 
  antennae 
  scrrata*, 
  articulo 
  2 
  nJ 
  ° 
  parvo, 
  3 
  io 
  sequente 
  

   pauIo 
  longiore 
  non 
  dilatato, 
  ll 
  rao 
  non 
  maiore 
  apice 
  constricto: 
  labrum 
  antice 
  rotundatum: 
  mandibulre 
  

   breves, 
  apice 
  acutre, 
  pone 
  apicem 
  unidentatre; 
  palpi 
  articulo 
  ultimo 
  non 
  longiore 
  triahgulari: 
  prester- 
  

   num 
  elongatum, 
  antice 
  longius 
  lobatum, 
  postice 
  fortius 
  mucronatum, 
  mucrone 
  compresso 
  non 
  inflexo, 
  

   lateribus 
  rectis, 
  sutura 
  antice 
  paulo 
  excavata: 
  mesosternum 
  utrinque 
  prominulum: 
  cox?e 
  posticas 
  la- 
  

   minis 
  angustis 
  intus 
  sensim 
  paulo 
  dilatatis: 
  tarsi 
  mediocres, 
  tenues, 
  compressi, 
  pubescentcs, 
  subtus 
  

   densissime 
  breviter 
  spongioso-pubesccntes; 
  articulis 
  1 
  — 
  1 
  sensim 
  brevioribus, 
  5'° 
  longiore 
  unguiculis 
  

   simplicibus. 
  

  

  These 
  are 
  large, 
  shining, 
  black 
  insects, 
  forming 
  the 
  first 
  division 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Pristilo- 
  

   phus, 
  as 
  defined 
  by 
  Germar, 
  (Zeitschr. 
  4, 
  82.) 
  Notwithstanding 
  the 
  care 
  taken 
  by 
  the 
  

   author, 
  the 
  description 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  fails 
  entirely 
  when 
  applie'd 
  to 
  the 
  species 
  here 
  alluded 
  

   to, 
  since 
  they 
  belong 
  to 
  a 
  totally 
  different 
  group 
  of 
  Elaters, 
  from 
  that 
  in 
  which 
  Pristilophus 
  

   was 
  placed: 
  the 
  tarsi, 
  indeed, 
  so 
  far 
  from 
  being 
  uniformly 
  pubescent 
  above 
  and 
  below, 
  as 
  

   in 
  Corytnbites, 
  arc 
  thinly 
  pubescent 
  above, 
  and 
  furnished 
  with 
  a 
  very 
  dense 
  brush 
  beneath, 
  

   as 
  in 
  Alans: 
  the 
  peculiarity 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  mesosternum 
  was 
  pointed 
  nut 
  by 
  Germar, 
  

   and 
  was, 
  in 
  fact, 
  the 
  character 
  upon 
  which 
  he 
  arranged 
  his 
  species 
  in 
  two 
  divisions. 
  

   The 
  thorax 
  in 
  all 
  the 
  species 
  is 
  strongly 
  margined: 
  the 
  base 
  is 
  without 
  any 
  fissure 
  and 
  

   is 
  bidentate 
  in 
  the 
  middle: 
  the- 
  posterior 
  angles 
  are 
  carinated. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  characters 
  of 
  this 
  genns 
  are 
  completely 
  at 
  variance 
  with 
  those 
  laid 
  down 
  for 
  

   Pristilophus 
  both 
  by 
  Latrcille 
  and 
  Germar, 
  it 
  would 
  obviously 
  be 
  absurd 
  to 
  retain 
  the 
  

   name 
  for 
  the 
  species 
  here 
  included, 
  even 
  if, 
  after 
  examination, 
  we 
  have 
  found 
  it 
  necessary 
  

   to 
  place 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  Germar's 
  Pristilophus 
  in 
  Corymbites. 
  

  

  1. 
  M. 
  procerus, 
  niger 
  nitidus, 
  tliorace 
  subtransverso, 
  ad 
  medium 
  latiore, 
  lateribus 
  valde 
  rotun- 
  

   datis, 
  angulis 
  posticis 
  divergentibus, 
  subtilius 
  punctato, 
  densius 
  ad 
  latera, 
  elytris 
  subtiliter 
  seriatim 
  

   punctatis, 
  interstitiis 
  subtilissime 
  parce 
  punctulatis. 
  Long. 
  1*3. 
  

  

  One 
  specimen, 
  from 
  Mr. 
  Hentz' 
  collection; 
  Prof. 
  ITaldeman. 
  This 
  species 
  resembles 
  in 
  

   characters 
  M. 
  piccus, 
  but 
  the 
  difference 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  the 
  thorax 
  is 
  very 
  great. 
  The 
  tho- 
  

   rax 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  wider 
  than 
  long, 
  very 
  slightly 
  convex, 
  considerably 
  rounded 
  on 
  the 
  sides, 
  so 
  

   as 
  to 
  be 
  wider 
  at 
  the 
  middle 
  than 
  immediately 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  of 
  the 
  spines, 
  which 
  thus 
  appear 
  

   to 
  diverge 
  more 
  strongly 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  species: 
  the 
  punctures 
  are, 
  as 
  in 
  M. 
  piceus, 
  

   small, 
  find 
  more 
  dense 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  than 
  on 
  the 
  middle 
  of 
  the 
  disc: 
  there 
  is 
  an 
  impressed 
  

   dorsal 
  line 
  behind 
  the 
  middle. 
  The 
  elytra 
  are 
  slightly 
  compressed 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  behind 
  the 
  

   base: 
  they 
  are 
  punctured 
  as 
  in 
  M. 
  piceus, 
  and 
  as 
  in 
  that 
  species, 
  the 
  outer 
  strirc 
  of 
  punc- 
  

   tures 
  are 
  more 
  distinct. 
  Beneath, 
  the 
  prosternum 
  and 
  indexed 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  prothorax 
  are 
  

   coarsely 
  punctured: 
  the 
  metasternurn 
  is 
  nearly 
  smooth 
  in 
  the 
  middle, 
  sparsely 
  and 
  finely 
  

  

  