CONIONTIDES CASEY 211 



In the collection of the California Academy of Sciences there are 

 specimens of a species of Coniontis which must be referred to musculus 

 Blais. These specimens were collected in the Kings River Canyon by 

 Mr. Frank Daggett, no altitude is given and this is a stumbling block to a 

 correct understanding of these specimens. Musculus inhabits the San 

 Joaquin Valley as far south as Tehachapi, and westward and eastward 

 into the foothills, to just what altitude it attains is not known. Musculus 

 appears to be exceedingly abundant in Ventura County, especially in the 

 vicinity of Oxnard. The specimens from this latter locality show some 

 deviation from the typical form from the more northern limit of its dis- 

 tribution. So it is with the specimens from the Kings River Canyon; 

 these are relatively narrower, and therefore less robust than the true 

 musculus. If all of the specimens that I have seen referable to musculus 

 could be arranged in a block system, the observable differences would 

 become evanescent, for a few individuals from each locality would resemble 

 similar ones from other places. It is often the general habitus or facies 

 in the broad sense that should guide in the limitation of species in such 

 genera as Coniontis, Eleodes and others. 



Genus Coniontides Casey. A series of sixty-nine specimens in this 

 genus are before me. They were collected on the different islands off 

 the coast of Southern California, namely: San Clemente, Santa Rosa, 

 Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, Prince and San Nicolas; on the 

 mainland near Los Angeles a small series was taken by Dr. E. C. Van 

 Dyke. 



The character that gives Coniontides any claim to generic standing, is 

 "the marked prolongation backward of the thoracic angles, recalling the 

 Eusatti, and in every way similar to the form there prevailing" (Casey), 

 and in the insular habitat ; Dr. Van Dyke's series, however, shows that the 

 species are not entirely confined to the islands. Coniontides has as much 

 claim to generic standing as has Coniontellus ; in the latter the eyes are 

 completely divided by the sides of the head, otherwise it is similar to 

 Coniontis. In Coelus and Coelotaxis the first joint of the anterior tarsi is 

 prolonged beneath the second, but in the former it is much longer. I see 

 no reason why Coniontides should not remain as a valid genus. 



Coniontides latus Lee. As usual in a large series, there is great 

 variation in size and sculpturing. The condition of cuneateness possessed 

 by many males is not a group, a generic, nor a specific character. It is 

 observed in all species and races of Coniontis. Body form or outline 

 varies greatly and between the extremes all degrees of intermediates are 

 found. 



The connectants invalidate any particular value assigned to a given 

 form. The prosternal process is usually unmargined, some specimens, 



