72 AMERICAN COLEOPTERA. 



40. B. fiigax Lee. — Forai slightly elongate, scarcely depressed ; color nearly 

 black, usually with slightly seneous or liluish lustre. Head moderate, as wide as 

 the thorax at apex: palpi rufous, darker at tip: autenufe about one-half as long 

 as the body, piceous, the first joint rufous. Prothorax rather more than one-half 

 wider than long, scarcely narrower at base than apex, feebly rugose at base ; apex 

 slightly emarginate: median line well marked, extending between the transverse 

 impressions, which are distinct : basal impressions broad, bistriate, the outer stria 

 small ; sides with the margin narrowly reflexed, arcuate in front, at most only 

 obsoletely sinuate behind ; hind angles .slightly obtuse, but not rounded, obsoletely 

 carinate. Elytra less than one-half wider than the thorax, oblong-ovate, moder- 

 ately deeply striate, less so at sides and apex ; strife distinctly punctate to behind 

 the middle, the six inner entire, the seventh abbreviated behind or sometimes 

 entirely eflfaced, the fifth grooved at tip ; third stria with the first dorsal puncture 

 about one-third from base, the second about one-fourth from apex ; intervals 

 slightly convex. Beneath nearly black, shining, abdomen more or less piceous 

 or rufo-piceous. Legs rufous. Length .22-.25 inch : 5.5-6.25 mm. 



Closely related to the two preceding, but less depressed, with the 

 thorax wider as compared Avith its length, the sides less distinctly 

 sinuate behind, the margin rather more narrowly reflexed and the 

 hind angles more obtuse. The elytra are less wide as compared with 

 the thorax than in guexi, while the head is smaller than in grandiceps. 



It occurs in Canada, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, New 

 Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Illinois. 



41. B. transverMale Dej. — Form moderately broad, feebly convex. Head 

 and thorax nigro-seneous, often more of less tinged with greenish ; elytra very 

 variable in color, usually either testaceous with a transverse band about the mid- 

 dle and often another between this and the apex varying from nigro-feneous to 

 dusky, or nigro-aeneous with a basal spot of variable size and a transverse band 

 behind the middle testaceous, more rarely with the basal spot wanting. Head as 

 wide as the thorax at apex ; palpi rufo-testaceous, often darker at tip; antenna? 

 not less than one-half the length of the body, piceous or fuscous, more or less 

 testaceous at base. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, as wide or nearly as 

 wide at base as apex, slightly rugose at base; apex emarginate ; median line dis- 

 tinct, abbreviated before and behind, rarely extending beyond the transverse 

 impressions, which are usually well defined, the anterior sometimes feeble : basal 

 impressions moderately deep, the outer stria obsolete; sides with the margin dis- 

 tinctly reflexed, arcuate in front, more or less sinuate behind ; hind angles rect- 

 angular or rarely sub-obtuse, sometimes obsoletely carinate. Elytra about one- 

 half wider than the thorax, oblong-ovate, more or less deeply striate, more finely 

 at sides and apex ; strite distinctly punctate to behind the middle, the six inner 

 entire, the seventh sometimes so, sometimes abbreviated behind or even entirely 

 effaced, the fifth grooved at tip; third stria with the first dorsal puncture about 

 one-third from base, the second about one-fourth from apex : intervals slightly 

 convex. Beneath nearly black, shining. Legs testaceous or rufo-testaceous, the 

 femora rarely piceous. Length .24-. 34 inch ; 6-8.5 mm. 



A very variable species. Some of the characters most subject to 

 variation have been indicated in the above description, but it may 



