18 MISC. PUBLICATION 417, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 
very feebly diverging to widest point just in front of middle, then moderately, 
arcuately narrowed to the rather broadly rounded front margin; surface brightly 
shining; punctures moderate in size and spacing, rather shallow, much closer 
and feebly roughened at sides, much smaller and closer in front; median line 
narrow, feebly elevated, visible only in middle third. 
Elytra about 1.96 times as long as wide, bases nearly straight, sides sub- 
parallel, very faintly arcuate on anterior two-thirds, then gradually, arcuately 
narrowed to the narrowly rounded apex; surface brightly shining on disk, 
subshining on declivity; striae moderately impressed on disk, more strongly 
so behind, first striae wider and deeper than others; punctures moderately 
coarse, deep, moderately close; interspaces wider than striae, moderately convex, 
more strongly so behind, finely rugose-punctate, densely finely granulate on base 
and declivity, with a uniseriate row of coarser granules on each declivital inter- 
space; disk appearing glabrous but with a few very minute hairs; declivity 
with rather numerous reclining hairs and narrow scales; first and third inter- 
spaces slightly more strongly elevated, ninth interspace not strongly elevated 
behind. Last abdominal sternite convex, narrowly rounded behind, closely, 
deeply, and roughly punctured. 
The type is from Las Vegas, N. Mex. 
Remarks —Two specimens in the United States National Museum 
have been identified as belonging to this species. Both are from 
the type locality. They run very close to one variation of gracilis, 
of which the Museum has many specimens from the same locality, 
and may possibly represent one variant of this extremely variable 
species. However, nztidus is believed to be distinct from gracilis 
by the character of the vestiture on the elytral declivity and by 
other differences. Hylastes vastans, described by Chapuis (1869) 
from Mexico and recorded by Blandford (1896) from two localities 
in Mexico and one in Guatemala, may well be the same as nitidus, 
but the description of the former is indefinite. 
HYLASTES FULGIDUS, new species 
Female——Very dark reddish brown, 3.08 mm. long, scarcely more than three 
times as long as wide; closely allied to nitidus Sw. and gracilis Lec. but con- 
siderably smaller than either. 
Frons strongly convex above, broad between eyes, frontal rectangle 1.03 times 
as long as wide, piceous throughout; epistoma scarcely lighter, broadly and 
deeply impressed; median carina rather faint, usually visible only on epistoma 
but sometimes traceable as an impunctate, smooth, narrow area as far as the 
arcuate transverse impression; epistomal margin somewhat thickened and lip- 
like; median lobe wide and short, free end emarginate, outer face excavated 
on more than middle half; arcuate transverse impression rather feebly de- 
veloped, strongest in median area; surface brightly shining, closely, very finely 
punctured, not granulate, but more roughly punctured on lower half. Hye 
finely granulate, ovate, wider above, not quite twice as long as wide, inner 
margin entire. Antenna with first segment of antennal club not so long as 
others combined. 
Pronotum slightly narrower than elytra, about 1.2 times as long as wide, 
very slightly widest just in front of middle; posterior outline feebly arcuate; 
posterior angles rounded; sides nearly straight, very feebly arcuate and very 
slightly diverging on posterior part, then somewhat more strongly, arcuately 
narrowed to the broadly rounded front margin; surface very brightly shining; 
punctures rather small, deep, moderately close, with interstices brightly polished, 
sides somewhat more finely and roughly punctured, much more finely and 
closely so in front; median line narrow, feebly elevated on middle three- 
fifths. 
Elytra slightly wider than pronotum, about 1.9 times as long as wide; bases 
nearly straight; sides subparallel, very slightly tapering for two-thirds of their 
length, then regularly arcuate to the narrowly rounded apex; surface shining ; 
striae impressed, more strongly so behind, first and second more strongly than 
others; punctures of moderate size, deep, moderately close; interspaces wider 
