234 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



tate. Body beneath colored as above. Metasternal area 

 not well defined, moderately coarsely punctate. Meso- 

 sternum oval, acute in front, coarsely punctured. Pro- 

 sternum strongly carinate. Length, .08 inch; 2 mm. 



From its form and the fact that the head is vertical the 

 species seems best placed near tristis and jio7-idanus, but 

 it differs from all of that series by its pale color, which is 

 not due to immaturity. At first glance it would be taken 

 for an Olibrus. 



One specimen. Sierra San Lazaro. 



Anisotoma Merkeliana n. sp. 



Oval, slightly oblong, moderately robust, piceous black, 

 shining. Antennse rufo-testaceous, the outer three joints 

 piceous. Head sparsely punctate but with four large 

 vertical punctures in a transverse row. Thorax more 

 than twice as wide as long, sides strongly arcuate, hind 

 angles broadly rounded, disc sparsely punctate with a 

 few coarse punctures along the base. Elytra moderately 

 coarsely striato-punctate, intervals flat, minutely sparsely 

 punctulate, the intervals 3-5-7-9 with the usual series of 

 very coarse distant punctures. Body beneath piceous 

 black, shining, sides of metasternum coarsely punctured, 

 abdomen less coarsely punctured. Legs piceous black. 

 Length, .16 inch; 4 mm. PI. xx, fig. 7. 



This species so closely resembles valida and agrees 

 with it in most of its characters so closely that it is prob- 

 able the females cannot be separated. In the present 

 species the posterior femora has a large tooth near the 

 outer condyle, the distal edge oblique, the tibiae are 

 slightly sinuate not curved as in valida. In the latter the 

 posterior femur is strongly angulate at its middle. 



One male from the State of Washington, kindly given 

 me by Mr. Merkel, to whom I take pleasure in dedicat- 

 in£r it. 



