252 JOHN L. LE CONTE, M. D. 



Hind coxae not excavated for the reception of the thighs ; pygidium not ex- 

 posed, Mycetophagidae.* 



Hind coxBe excavated for the reception of the thighs, Dermestidae.t 



c. Ventral segments 5; first 3 joints of the tarsi dilated, Nitidulidae.J 



B. Wings membranous, with distinct veins, and mostly suitable for flight, but 

 in some genera wanting, or undeveloped ; ventral segments 6 or 

 more in number : 



a. Elytra with distinct veins Silphidae. . 



b. Elytra without veins ; 



Prothorax shield shaped, with sharply defined side margins. ..Anisotomidae. 

 Prothorax rounded or cylindrical, without margined sides Scydmaenidae. 



Platysoma aequum Lee. N. Sp. Col. 1, 61.— This is the Sister frontalis \\ Say, 

 which would with difficulty be recognized from Say's description unless a spe- 

 cimen were present (in natura) for comparison. The body is parallel in form, 

 black, the antennte and legs red, the club of the antennse ferruginous, the front 

 is flat, not impressed, thickly and finely, though quite distinctly punctured, 

 with the anterior part raised above the clypeus, and surrounded by a fine mar- 

 ginal stria; the clypeus is therefore very short, (or as Say has expressed it, lin- 

 ear'^ ). Prothorax transverse, quadrate, thickly punctured, with distinct mar- 

 ginal stria, which extends along the front margin, and with a small basal fovea 

 at the middle. The elytra have 6 entire dorsal strise, and no lateral stria: the 

 epipleuraj are flat, narrow, scarcely punctured ; pygidium and propygidium 

 coarsely punctured; the middle of the under surface thickly and finely punc- 

 tured ; mesosternum not margined in front; front tibise 4-toothed. [I failed to 

 recognize Say's species in this remarkable insect, believing with my father that 

 we had determined it in another which more nearly resembles in form P. par- 

 allehtm. witli which Say compares it.] 



Hister servus Er. — Very similar to indistinctus Say, but easily distinguished 

 by the pygidium which is very coarsely punctured. — Maryland, Cuba, Hayti. 

 [Not before noted as occuring in the United States.] 



Hister permixtus Zim. — Long. H line. Also an allied species io servus, \evy 

 similar to indistinctus, but entirely of a brown color, and distinguished by the 

 following characters : exterior stria of prothorax abbreviated or interrupted at 

 the middle: marginal stria of the elytra deeper and dilated in the form of a 

 fovea, (grubenformig) ; pygidium sparsely and very finely punctured; front ti- 

 biiB 4-toothed, the lowest tooth broadly divided. — Carolina. 



Hister corvinus Germ. — Long, li — If line. Antennae and legs ferruginous ; 



* Here belong also the Colydiidae, Cryptophagidse, Trogositidse, Peltidse, Tho- 

 rictidfe, Mycetceidae, Murmidiidse, Lathrldiidoe, Monotomidae, Derodontidae, and 

 Othniidae of other authors. 



I Including Byrrhidac and Throscidae. 



X [This table, although written recently, appears to be partly provisional; in 

 another MS. the Nitidulidae are placed near the Phalacridae, Eumorphidae, Ero- 

 tylidae and Coccinellidae in the series " Kolbenkafer," Cordvlocera — Leg.] 



? In a transverse direction ; this peculiar conformation of head results from 

 the fact, that the elevated margin, under which the antennae are inserted, is 

 jjrolonged transversely just in front of the frontal stria, instead of forming the 

 side margin of the clypeus, producing thereby such a depression of the latter 

 as is observed in most of the species of the genus. 



