A. morosus Lee. Ann. Lye. Nat. Hist. N. Y., V, 1851, p. 204. 



obsoletus Lee. Jour. Acad. Nat. Sci. Phila., (2), IV, 1858, p. 15. 



fossiger Mots. Bull. Mosc. Ill, 1859, p. 170. 



Head and thorax black, the former with the usual vertex spots, the latter with 

 the lateral marginal bead only, obscure rufous; elytra dark brown or brownish 

 fuscous, the margins more dilute; body beneath including epipleura, black or 

 piceous ; labrum, antennae and four anterior legs rufous, the thighs more or less 

 infuscate, hind legs darker. Surface strongly shining and obsoletely irregularly 

 reticulate in the male ; in the female more coarsely and deeply reticulate and 

 duller, the apical fourth (more or less) of the elytra rather abruptly much 

 smoother; minute punctulation scarcely detectable. Prosternal process rather 

 large, flattened or feebly convex basally, more convex and finely acuminate 

 apically. Distance between meso-coxae and coxal plates distinctly less than half 

 the length of the latter. Pro- and mesotarsi of male strongly dilated, 'the 

 glandular hairs bearing moderate sized palettes ; protarsal claws elongate, sinuate 

 beneath, their upper edges straight or nearly so for three-fourths their length. 

 Length 6.9 to 8 mm. 



This species occurs throughout California, the following localities 

 being represented in my series : San Diego ; Riverside ; Pomona ; Long 

 Beach ; San Bernardino Mts., 7500 feet ; Owens Lake ; San Francisco ; 

 Humboldt County. The type is a female from San Francisco. 



I have felt constrained to suppress obsoletus Lee. as entirely synony- 

 mous with the present species. It was described from a single male 

 specimen taken at San Diego, which harmonizes completely with 

 males of morosus from farther north. The type of obsoletus carries 

 no locality label other than the gold disk which signifies California. 

 There are however in the LeConte series three other examples all 

 ?'s with gold disks, one of which bears an additional "Mendocino" 

 label. Two of these are typical morosus females ; the third however 

 is much smoother, and moreover differs in several slight respects 

 from the other two ?'s and from the c? type. Crotch's statement that 

 the female in obsoletus is shining is evidently based on this last speci- 

 men, but it is certain that this was a later acquisition and there is 

 nothing to indicate when or where it was taken or to connect it 

 with the male type. On the other hand I have perfectly typical 

 females of the morosus type from San Diego the type locality of 

 obsoletus, and have no doubt of the correctness of my conclusion that 

 these are one and the same species. Among certain European species 

 of Agabus there are well established instances of dimorphism in 

 the sculpture of the females; it is therefore possible that the smooth 

 female in the LeConte series may be a variation of this sort. 



A. ancillus new species. 



Very closely related to morosus, but of smaller size and a little narrower, the 

 form evenly oblong oval often slightly widened behind in females of morosus 

 the elytra paler brown or yellowish brown, the disk less deeply infuscate; 



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