COLEOPTERA OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. 167 



Vallecito, San Diego County (Le Conte): difficilis, not 

 rare at San Diego, where I have taken it in some 

 numbers about the roots of plants on the Coronado 

 peninsula: muricatus, Colorado Desert and Owens 

 Valley. Casey has described nanus from Kern County. 



Eleodes. A goodly number of representatives of this 

 -common western genus are found in Southern Cali- 

 fornia. Their habits are practically the same as those 

 of the greater part of the larger wingless Tenebrionidee. 

 While they are occasionally abroad by day, as a rule they 

 remain concealed beneath boards, stones, rubbish, etc., 

 till toward evening, when they become active. E. quad- 

 ricollis is a common species about San Diego, and is 

 found near the seacoast as far north as San Francisco; 

 it is not uncommon on Catalina Island: armata is prob- 

 ably the most abundant species of the genus along the 

 line of the Southern Pacific Railroad, through the 

 Colorado Desert; I have found it common at Palm 

 Springs, in April, on the western border of this desert: 

 femorata is decidedly rare in the vicinity of San Diego, 

 the only locality from which it is known: gentilis is 

 said by Blaisdell to be common at San Diego, but speci- 

 mens coming to me from that place and bearing this 

 name proved to be only quadricollis; the type, however, 

 comes from that vicinity, and Blaisdell's reference is 

 perhaps correct: interrupta is rare about San Diego 

 {Blaisdell): gracilis is represented by one example taken 

 by me at Palm Springs, and so identified by Dr. Horn; 

 it is not typical and may possibly prove distinct: grandi- 

 -collis and gigantea are found at various points from Los 

 Angeles to San Diego, on the western side of the moun- 

 tains, and both are said to be more or less common 

 about San Francisco; of the two, grandicollis is the 

 scarcer in Southern California: acuticauda is our most 





