130 Wickham — New Fossil Coleoptera from Florissant. 



on the matrix. However there is an appearance of distant 

 impressed lines or strige on the elytra. 



The generic reference, naturally, is only provisional; more 

 perfect specimens may throw the insect in some other genus. 

 The outline, however, is strikingly like our recent Meracantha 

 contracta, but the fossil is considerably smaller and has more 

 slender femora which are more strongly and suddenly clavate 

 towards the tip. 



Mbrdella Linn. 



M. lapidicola n. sp. A species about the size of our recent 

 M. scutellaris showing the characteristic wedge-shaped form, 

 long hind legs and anal style of Mordella and its allies. The 

 specimen exhibits a side view in obverse and reverse. Three 

 legs are visible, one of them belonging to the posterior 

 pair. Antennae and mouthparts are obscured, and as the slab 

 of stone in which the specimen is preserved is of coarse texture 

 the sculpture is obliterated. Probably the insect can be dis- 

 tinguished from any others which may be discovered in these 

 shales by the comparative measurements. Length 6'75 mm , 

 anal style, beyond elytral tip, l'75 mm , hind femur l'30 mm , hind 

 tibia -90 mm , hind tarsus l'75 mm , first joint of this tarsus -75 mm . 



Station number R. 13 B. 1908. Received from Prof. 

 Cockerell. Holotype in Peabodv Museum of Yale University. 

 Cat. No. 9. 



Iowa City, Iowa. 



