550 Coleopterological Notices, V. 



The sterna are nearl}^ as in electus, to which this species is closely 

 allied. It differs in the deep, coarsely sculptured and dilated sulcus 

 of the elytral flanks, structure of the anterior tibiae, in the smaller, 

 more narrowly oblong and parallel body, more finely sculptured 

 pygidla, longer sutural stria, subparallel inner thoracic stria and in 

 several other features. 



PHELISTER Mars. 



The small species separated under this name by Marseul are 

 peculiarly American and may prove to be tolerably numerous in 

 the United States. Of those described thus far, aeneomicans and 

 venustus are metallic aeneous and greenish-blue respectively. Of 

 the non-metallic species gentilis has all the striae entire, the sutural 

 and next dorsal joined at base ; subrotundus has the sutural stria 

 alone abbreviated, the inner dorsal not hooked at base ; vermis and 

 saunieri have the inner dorsal and sutural striae equally abbrevi- 

 ated at base, the former represented at base by a puncture, the 

 fourth dorsal not hooked at base; the last two species must be very 

 closely allied if distinct. 



P. geometricus n. sp. — Broadly oval, rather feebly convex, highly 

 polished, impunctate except a broad line of coarse punctures along the sides 

 of the pronotura, dark rufo-castaneous, the elytra piceous-black except at 

 apex. Head small, feebly concave, the stria feeble. Proihorax twice as wide 

 as long, the sides moderately convergent and nearly straight, becoming more 

 convergent and arcuate near the apex ; fine marginal stria entire ; submarginal 

 fine, very close to the edge, abbreviated at the middle, broadly, inwardly 

 hooked at apex ; subapical stria crenulate, reflexed at the extremities. Elytra 

 one half longer, and, before the middle, quite distinctly wider than the pro- 

 thorax ; sides evenly rounded ; apex narrow, scarcely more than three-fourths 

 as wide as the base; inflexed flanks finely crenulato-bistriate ; inner and 

 outer humeral striae excessively faint ; subhumerals completely wanting ; 

 dorsals rather coarse, punctulate ; first four entire, the fourth strongly hooked 

 halfway to the scutellum at base ; fifth and sutural abbreviated at basal third. 

 Propygidiu'.n moderately coarsely, densely and evenly punctate the punctures 

 almost contiguous ; pygidium very minutely and rather sparsely punctate, 

 Prosternal striae becoming subparallel ; posterior margin not distinctly sinuate ; 

 mesosternum evenly, transversely truncate at apex. Antennal fossae very deep. 

 Length 2.0 mm. ; width 1.5 mm. 



Texas (Austin). 



Readily distinguishable from vernus by the hooked fourth dorsal 

 stria, impunctate surface and truncate mesosternum. One specimen. 



