THE HISTER BEETLES. 603 



CO. Front tlbire with a small tooth on the inner side near the base; spine 

 of prosterniiin convex'. Subgenus IV. Cylisteix. 



Subgenus I. (Histeb.) 



Rounded or oval, convex species, having the elytra always 

 striate; thorax nearly always with two marginal strise, the outer 

 often short ; hind tibia^ narrower at base than at apex, and with two 

 rows of spines. Since the number of species and varieties of the 

 rsubgenns tal?en in the State is 22, Avhile five others may occur, they 

 are for convenience arranged in four groups, separated as follows: 



KEY TO QEOl'PS OF INDIANA SPECIES OF THE SUBGENUS HISTER. 



a. Jlargin of thorax fringed with short hairs; antennal cavities shallow. 



Group A. 

 aa. Margin of thorax not fringed; antennal cavities deep. 

 6. Prosternum convex without striae on the sides. 



c. Mesosternum emarginate in front. Group B. 



cc. Mesosternum truncate in front. Group C. 



6&. Prosternum more or less flattened with a stria on each side ; meso- 

 sternum very feebly emarginate; outer thoracic stria usually en- 

 tire. Group D. 

 Geoup a. 



To this group belong two rather robust species having the en- 

 tire margin of the thorax fringed with short yellowish hairs. One 

 of the two has been taken in the State, while the other probably 



KEY TO SPECIES OF GROUP A. 



a. Front tibiae bidentate ; outer marginal stria of thorax entire ; color 



black and red. 1143. Bipi-agiatus. 



(la. Front tibia; not dentate; outer marginal stria abbreviated; color wholly 



black. L.EVIPES. 



1143 (8472). HiSTER biplagiatus Lee, Bost. .Jouni. Nat. Hist., V, 1845, 

 55, pi. 3, fig. 4. 

 Broadly oval. Black; elytra each with a large curved red space on 

 the center. Thorax with two entire striaj, its surface smixith or nearly so. 

 Elytra without trace of subhumeral stria; each with time entire dorsal 

 striae and a trace of fourth at base and apex, the sutur.il extending from 

 apex one-third to one-half towards base. Pygidium sparsely and rather 

 finely punctured. Length 5 mm. 



Cass County; rare. One specimen dug from a burrow in a 

 sand bank by Dr. Robert Hessler. April 17. Probably occurs 

 sparingly throughout the southern two-thirds of the State. 



n. Icevipes Germ., length .^.5-^.5 mm., is said to occur from 

 Pennsylvania to Georgia. 



