Coleopterological Notices, VII. 62Y 



TYRrS Aube. 



In this genus the peculiar internal prominence of the trochan- 

 ters and the carina or spine of the anterior femur, are not sexual 

 characters, but are equally pronounced in the female, which, it will 

 be observed, is the case also in all the allies of Ctenistes and 

 Chennium, so that crural modification in this part of the family 

 becomes of generic import. As in most of these genera, also, the 

 species are closely allied among themselves and require careful 

 study. 



The primary sexual characters are rather feeble, the male hav- 

 ing the last ventral moderate in size, with the apex produced 

 slightly in a rounded lobe and the last dorsal large, broadly trun- 

 cate and medially feebl^^ sinuate at tip ; the female has the last 

 ventral shorter, with the apex narrowl}'^ and deeply inciso-sinuate 

 in the middle, and the last dorsal much smaller, more tumid along 

 the middle and frequently more coarsely punctured, these sexual 

 differences in the last dorsal being parallel to those of certain 

 Batrisi. No well-marked sexual differences can be observed in 

 any other part of the body or appendages. 



The material in my cabinet indicates five North American spe- 

 cies, which may be defined as follows : — 



Carina of the anterior femur long, equaling ^4 of the entire length. Utah. 



carinifer n. sp. 

 Carina short, never more than \ as long as the femur and sometimes a little 

 shorter. 

 Elytra large, about as long as the abdomen, very widely exposed at the 

 humeri, the sides strongly arcuate and only moderately divergent pos- 

 teriorly ; head small ; body pale testaceous with the abdomen black. Lake 



Tahoe, California. {Pylnacort. Csy.) corticinus Csy. 



Elytra more abbreviated and transverse, with less broadly rounded humeri 

 and more divergent and less arcuate sides, always much shorter than 

 the abdomen in both sexes. Northeastern States. 

 Antennte moderately elongate in both sexes, the penultimate joints of the 

 funicle not transverse; abdominal carina well developed. 

 Head in the male slightly narrower than the prothorax and as long as 

 wide; prothorax usually noticeably elongate {compar Lee). 



hiimeralis Aube 



Head in the male much narrower than the prothorax and shorter than 



wide; body smaller and less stout, the prothorax slightly wider than 



long seniiru1>er n. sp. 



Antennae shorter and stout, the three outer joints of the fimicle transverse 

 in the female; prothorax a little wider than long; abdominal carina 

 generally extremely short and inconspicuous consimilis n. sp. 



