Kay to the California Species of Hydrochara 



Adults 



1. Meso and metasternal keel in one plane (in profile 

 view); metasternal section of sternal keel as wide as 

 a hind femur; pronotum unicolorous, color of head, 

 pronotum. elytra, and legs varying from almost black 

 to a beautiful blue-green; coarse elytral punctures 

 2-3 times as large as those on pronotum; southwest 



U.S lineata LeConte 1855 



— Metasternal section of sternal keel only as wide as a 

 metatibia, apical two-thirds not on same plane as rest 

 and as mesosternal keel; dorsal surface greenish-black, 

 pronotum and elytra margined with yellow laterally, 

 legs yellow to rufopiceous; coarse elytral punctures 

 subequal to those on pronotum; San Francisco Bay 

 area rickseckeri Horn 1895 



Key to the California Species of Hydrophllus 



Adults 



1. Elytra with a fine spine apically, at suture; 5th seg- 

 ment of protarsi of male broadly, triangularly enlarged 

 (fig. 13:40A), the under surface with a series of suckers 

 paralleling each margin, those near the larger claw 

 being stalked, the rest sessile; larger species, 33-45 



mm. long; southwest U.S., ? California 



insularis Laporte 1840 



— Elytra not spinose apically; 5th segment of anterior 

 tarsi of male broadened, but not triangularly so suckers 

 not restricted to its margins and angles (fig. 13:40/); 

 smaller species, 30-35 mm. (fig. 13:30a); North 

 America triangularis Say 1823 



Key to the California Species of Tropisternus 

 Adults 



1. Head, pronotum, and elytra margined with yellow (figs. 



13:30c and 13:40(7); North and South America 



lateralis (Fabricius) 1 775 



— Pronotum and elytra concolorous 2 



2. Pseudobasal segment of maxillary palps short, barely 

 or not reaching eyes, subequal in length to ultimate 

 segment; elytral humeri turned under, not visible 

 from above; northern California to Nevada to southern 

 Oregon orvus Leech 1945 



— Pseudobasal segment longer, reaching anterior margin 

 of eye, distinctly longer than ultimate or penultimate; 

 elytral humeri not turned under, clearly visible from 

 above 3 



3. Outer margin of epipleura completely without setigerous 

 punctures; epipleura behind hind coxae gradually 

 narrowed, not turned under until just before elytral 

 apex; California obscurus Sharp 1 882 



— Outer margin of epipleura, from apex almost or quite 

 to base, with a series of setigerous punctures; epi- 

 pleura behind hind coxae folded in, so that their lower 

 (inner) margin runs along the inner face of the elytra 

 4 



4. Lateral median series of pronotal punctures coarser, 

 1-2, rarely 4, the anterior ones smaller; body equally 

 obtuse anteriorly and posteriorly, strongly convex in 

 profile; western U.S ellipticus (LeConte) 1855 



— Lateral median series of punctures of pronotum fine, 

 4-12 in number, forming an oblique line; body not 

 strongly convex in profile 5 



5. Basal quarter of hind femora pubescent (fig. 13:40e); 

 saline lagoons, coast of southern half of California 



salsamentus Fall 1901 



— Pubescent area of hind femora small, not extending 

 much beyond tips of trochanters 6 



343 

 Leech and Chandler: Coleoptera 



6. Pubescent aroa of hind femora more extensive thouph 

 still small, clearly reaching to tip of tr«. 



(fig. 13:406); elytra with dual punctation in apical 

 quarter, the large punctures numerous, irregularly 

 spaced, nearly obliterating the small primary punc- 

 tures; California calif ornicus (LeConte) lh5i 



— Pubescent area of hind femora very small, confined 

 to extreme base, barely or not reaching tip of tro- 

 chanters (fig. 13:40a); elytra nearly uniformly punctate 

 (except for the usual coarse, serial punctures) 7 



7. Hind femora parallel-sided in basal two-third.-, f hit , 

 sparsely and moderately coarsely punctate, in large part 

 testaceous; mesosternal keel very finely punctate in both 

 sexes; posterior claw of middle tarsi of male with the 

 tooth about equidistant from tip to oase (fig. 13:40c); 

 larger species, less parallel-sided, elytra distinctly 

 greenish; Mono County sublaevis (LeConte) 1855 



— Hind femora not parallel-sided in basal two-thirds, the 

 posterior margin gradually curved (fig. 13:40a); hind 

 femora distinctly inflated, more coarsely and numerously 

 punctate, in large part piceous or black; punctation of 

 mesosternal keel fine in female, rather sparse and 

 moderately coarse in male; posterior claw of middle 

 tarsi of male with the tooth larger and more apical 

 (fig. 13:40a 1 ); smaller species, more parallel-sided, 

 dorsal color blacker with a slight bronze luster; 

 western U.S columbianus Brown 1931 



Key to the California Species of Chaetarthria 

 Adults 



1. Dorsum not black; U.S pallida (LeConte) 1861 



— Dorsum black 2 



2. Smaller, 1.2-1.5 mm. long; southern California 



minor Fall 1901 



— Larger, 1.6-2.2 mm. long; California 



nigrella (LeConte) 1861 



Key to the California Species of Laccobius 

 Adults 



1. Elytral punctuation in alternate series of fairly regular 

 punctures, some larger and denser, contrasting with 

 others less regular, finer and sparser; Los Angeles 

 County insolitus d'Orchymont 1942 



— Punctuation not in evident series of alternately coarser 

 and finer punctures 2 



2. Ends of parameres of male genitalia, viewed laterad, 

 with an open-forceps form, the entire aedeagus re- 

 sembling, in its slenderness, that of insolitus; pronotum 

 largely light on lateral borders, this light color ordi- 

 narily penetrating deeply in front, less deeply to rear 

 of middle in the obscure median spot, which later is 

 more or less transverse; occasionally this spot is 

 almost reduced to median third of disc; Alberta to 

 Colorado; northern California. . . .carri d'Orchymont 1942 



— Ends of parameres, from side view, not forcepslike; 

 obscure pronotal spot more transverse, approaching 

 naarer to lateral prothoracic borders which are then 

 darker 3 



3. Form more briefly oval, with obscure transverse pro- 

 notal spot less broken at sides; elytral punctuation 

 less irregular, more or less arranged in brownish- 

 colored lines; base of head and pronotum more or less 

 distinctly granulated between punctuation; southern 

 Canada, northern U.S agilis Randall 1838 



— Form more elongate or elliptical with elytral punc- 

 tuation more irregular, less or not at all aligned in 

 colored series 4 



4. Obscure pronotal spot more broken laterally, less 

 transverse; elytral punctuation a trifle less dense and 

 a bit stronger, particularly along suture; Oregon, 

 California, Nevada ellipticus LeConte 1855 



