Brazilian Barinle 159 



Distinguishable at once by the small size, oblong-suboval form, 

 coarse, dense squamules, short beak, with subapical antennae and 

 small, narrow scutellum. 



Palocus n. gen. 



In some respects the few small species of this genus resemble the 

 last, being rather evenly and densely clothed with pale gray scales, 

 but the body is more broadly oval, and the punctures of the elytral 

 striae bear each a distinct whitish squamule. The beak is moderate 

 in thickness and arcuation, densely sculptured and not separated 

 from the front, the mandibles decussate and dentate, apparently 

 somewhat prominent when closed. Antennae short, medial, the 

 first funicular joint as long as the next three, the others compactly 

 joined and gradually broader, the club oval, pointed and as long as 

 the five preceding joints combined. The prosternum is feebly and 

 indefinitely impressed, the anterior coxae separated by more than 

 half their width, the femora unarmed and the tarsal claws are 

 longer, less connate, straight but more divergent, and appear to be 

 connate only at the extreme base; they have a feeble substrigilate 

 sculpture. The prothorax is subtubulate at apex and the scutellum 

 is very moderate and quadrate, not densely punctulate or squamu- 

 lose. The species are as follows, there being two subgeneric groups: 



Antennal club very stout, its first segment very large, constituting somewhat 

 more than half the mass; interstitial squamulation very even; squamules of 

 the strial punctures distinct I 



Antennal club more narrowly oval, subevenly trisegmented by the sutures, the 

 basal segment very much less than half the mass; interstitial squamulation 

 uneven; squamules of the strial punctures very minute and slender II 



The anterior coxae in the second group are separated by almost 

 the full coxal width. 



Group I 



Subgenus Palocus in sp. 



There are but two species of this group known thus far as follows : 



Form rather stout, very evenly oval, convex, black, the legs not paler, the squam- 

 ules rather dense and even throughout; beak evenly, very moderately 

 arcuate, only slightly tapering, densely sculptured, somewhat longer than 

 the prothorax, the antennae medial, blackish; prothorax not quite a third 

 wider than long, the converging sides feebly arcuate, gradually rounding 

 beyond about the middle to the apical tubulation, which is half as wide as 

 the base; punctures very close; basal lobe small but rather abrupt, rounded; 

 scutellum quadrate, sparsely squamulose; elytra a fifth longer than wide, 

 slightly wider than the prothorax and three-fourths longer, the humeri 

 broadly rounded and only very faintly prominent; striae coarse but shallow, 

 punctate and squamulose; intervals closely, confusedly punctulate and 



