AliCANA NATURyE, 121 



DESCRIPTIONS 



OF 



SOME GENERA AND SPECIES OF COLEOPTERA 



FROM THE VICINITY OF THE SOUTHERN ROUNDARY 



OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; 



BY JOHN L. LECONTE, M. 0. 



The species described in Ihe présent memoir hâve ail been previously made known 

 by me in American publications cited below; nevertheless, being mostly remarkable for 

 their strange forms or singular affinities, I hâve thought that a more close knowledge of 

 them would be of interesl to the entomologists of Europe. 



I hâve therefore, with great pleasure, availed myself of the libéral offer of my friend, 

 Mr. J. Thomson, to publish them by means of the very favourable opportunity afforded 

 in the présent splendid work. The plates being published at intervais, and the text pre- 

 pared at a great distance from the place of publication, it will be impossible for me to 

 place the groups of insects represented in a natural order; but in each part of the me- 

 moir, the species contained in it will be arranged in accordance with the System usually 

 adopted by entomologists. For this reason, I will place first : 



PLASTOCERUS, Lee. 



1. P. ScHAUMii, piceo-castaneus, helvo-pubescens, capite thoraceque pilis longioribus erectis densius 

 vestitis, illo scabro, hoc antrorsum angustato, lateribus sinuatis, angulis posticis elongatis divergentibus, 

 dense punctalo ; elytris striis vage impressis, interstitiis subrugosis ; pedore longius cinereo-pubescente. 

 Long. 14 mill. — Tab. XIH, fig. 1. 



Leconte, Trans. Am. PMI. Soc, X, 502. San Diego, California; flying just before sunset, near the 

 shore of the bay, in May and June. The female diflfers from the maie by the pectination of the an- 

 tennae being very short, so that those organs become scarcely more than serrate ; the elytra also are 

 more flattened and slightly déhiscent. 



The genus Plastocerus belongs to the tribe Campijlini of Elateridœ, and forms with Aphricus, Aplas- 

 tus and Euthysanius, Lee, a small group distinguished by the labrum being indistinct. Thèse four 

 gênera are ail found in California, and thus far Plastocerus alone is represented in any other part of 

 the world. The gênerai appearance of thèse four gênera is very différent : Aphricus, with the front 

 margined and the mandibles slender and prominent, the antennse moderately serrate, has the form of 

 i. 31 



