189I.] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. II3 



with apices nearer median line and posterior to those of elytra, overlap- 

 ping base of fourth abdominal segment; anterior pair Hmbs extending to 

 base of second abdominal segment; median pair to opposite base of third, 

 posterior pair to centre of sixth segment. Abdomen depressed, moder- 

 ately curved upon itself; sides feebly convex. Segments nine, decreasing 

 very slowly in width to fifth, then more rapidly; third, fourth, fifth and 

 sixth, subequal; first shorter than second, which is shorter than third; 

 eighth two- thirds as wide as third, shorter than seventh; ninth (anal) sculp- 

 tured, partly sunken within eighth; from its dorsal surface and beneath 

 posterior border of eighth two spines project, which are divergent, slightly 

 recurved, chitinous. Sexual characters: male distinguished by the longer 

 antennal pectinations. There is no appreciable difference between the 

 eighth ventral segments- in the two sexes. 



Two specimens ( % and 9 ), Coronado, San Diego County, 

 taken June 24th and July ist, 1890, from 20.32 cm. below the 

 surface of the soil. Position and pupal chamber had been de- 

 stroyed before they were observed. From the appearance and 

 position of the spines, I would infer that the pupa approaches 

 the surface previous to the emergence of the imago. The adult 

 insect is vividly portrayed at this stage, the quadrate pronotum 

 suggests P. fraler. One specimen was permitted to complete 

 the transformations, the imago possessing a narrow prothorax 

 and divergent posterior angles, characteristic of Schaumii. Six 

 days previous to the appearance of the imago, the eyes and man- 

 dibles began to darken; prothorax darkened, but slightly. The 

 hardening and darkening of the imaginal exoskeleton progressed 

 very slowly; head and thorax had darkened by the fifth day; ab- 

 domen and elytra by the tenth day. The larva has not yet been 

 recognized, but believe I possess it among several species of 

 Elaterid larvae. 



o 



Note on Sphenophorus minimus Hart. 



By John Hamilton, M.D., Allegheny, Pa. 

 Examining some indeterminata taken here, which have been 

 accumulating during several years, two specimens of SpheJio- 

 phorus minimus Hart were discovered, — a species described 

 ■ lately by Mr. A. C. Hart in an article entitled, "The Corn Bill 

 Bugs," in which he writes an excellent "Key to the Illinois 

 Species" {pertinax, robustus, costipennis, scopariiis, sculptilis, 

 cariosus, melanocephalus, Sayi, placidus, miiiimus 2SiA parvulus). 

 The article treats these species exhaustively, accompanied by 

 three plates of well executed, enlarged figures, and is published 



