140 Proceedings of the 



I have not seen this species in nature, and the above descrip- 

 tion is too short to enable us to form an accurate idea of its 

 form or affinities. 



44. C. basilar is, Say. 



Catops basilaris, Say, Journ. Acad. Philadelphia, iii. 194. 



"Niger, brevissima navescente pubescentia vestitus; elytris 



brunneis, pallidioribus ad basin. 

 " Long, li lin. 



" Body black, covered with numerous short yellowish hairs ; 

 eyes fuscous; antenna? blackish, two basal joints yellowish- 

 white ; eighth joint very small, transverse, shortest ; the seventh 

 and three terminal joints largest, the latter somewhat piceous ; 

 thorax transverse, quadrate, convex, rather narrower before; 

 lateral edge regularly arcuated, basal and anterior edge sub- 

 rectilinear ; angles rounded ; scutellum triangular ; elytra 

 brownish, paler at base ; a distinct subsutural impressed line ; 

 labrum and palpi pale piceous, beneath blackish piceous; feet 

 dark piceous. 



" Found under wood at Engineer Cantonment, on the Mis- 

 souri*." 



I believe it is not known what species Say had in view in 

 describing this. Dr. Leconte, whose knowledge of American 

 entomology is perhaps greater than that possessed by any other 

 naturalist, includes it, in his ' Synopsis of the Silphales of 

 America/ amoDg those which were unknown to him. Say's 

 description, I think, seems to point either to an affinity with 

 C. tristis or C. fumatus, and I place it in this group with doubt. 



45. C. opacus, Say. 



Catops opacus, Say, Journ. Acad. Nat. Sc. Philad. v. 184 ; Leconte, Syn. 

 Silph. Amer. in Proceedings of Acad. Philad. (1853) 280. 



" Ater, punctulatus, subtiliter pubescens ; thorace semi- Fig. 42. 



elliptico, basi late rotundato; elytris obsolete striatis; 



tibiis calcaribus magnis armatis. 

 "Long. 2 lin. 



" New York and Ohio : rare. 



"The male has three joints of the anterior tarsi 

 strongly dilated ; the middle tarsi are not dilated. The 

 sutural stria of the elytra is deeper than the others -f." 



* Sav in loc. cit. f Leconte in loc. cit. 



