26 Coleopterological Notices, III. 



series in my cabinet. Ligneus is found throughout the United 

 States, and is equally abundant in California, while litigiosus is 

 confined as far as known to the latter locality. 



PHYIHATODES Muls. 



This genus is not separable from Callidium by any decided modi- 

 fication of the legs, sterna or trophi, and depends for its validity 

 almost entirely upon habitus ; the latter may however often become 

 more important, as a generic character, than the modification of any 

 special organ, as is apparently evidenced in the present case. 



In Phymatodes the eyes are singularly inconsistent in degree of 

 emargination, the two lobes being generally connected by a rather 

 wide faceted band, but in some species, as varius, this band or 

 isthmus becomes very narrow, bearing a single line only of some- 

 what coarser facets, and in amoenus almost entirely disappear, the 

 eyes being as completely divided as in Tetropium. Thus a charac- 

 ter, apparently important in the Asemini, becomes here quite value- 

 less. 



P. obliquilS n. sp. — Oblong, subparallel, rather depressed, black 

 throughout, the coxas alone pale testaceous, moderately shining, each elytron 

 with two narrow fasciae, oblique toward the suture, the anterior at basal third 

 feebly and posteriorly so, the posterior at apical fourth anteriorly and strongly. 

 Head somewhat finely, confusedly punctate ; antennae in the male slightly 

 longer than the body, slender, but slightly stouter toward base, the second 

 joint less than one-half as long as the third, the latter slightly longer than 

 the fourth and a little shorter than the fifth, in the female more than three- 

 fourths as long as the body. Prothorax very slightly wider than long ; apex 

 and base truncate, the former slightly the wider ; sides arcuate; disk widest 

 at about the middle, finely punctate, the punctures dense and scabrous later- 

 ally, very sparse toward the middle. Elytra feebly narrowed from base to 

 apex, and, at base, but little wider than the prothorax in the male, parallel 

 and much wider than the latter in the female, finely, very densely punctate, 

 much more sparsely so in basal third. Legs long, with the femora strongly 

 pedunculate and clavate in the male, shorter and a little more slender in the 

 female. Length 7.2-7.6 mm. ; width 2.3-2.5 mm. 



California (Santa Clara Co.). Mr. Harford. 



The three specimens represent a species allied to varius, but 

 differing in the much finer, sparser punctuation of the pronotum, 

 denser punctures of the elytra, with shorter finer pubescence, longer 

 antenna? and much more oblique posterior fasciae. 



This species bears no resemblance to decussatus of which I have 



