THE SHORT- WINGED SCAVENGER BEETLES. 



411 



Marion County; rare. April 4. Taken by sifting. The small 

 size, highly polished surface and long prostrate hairs of abdomen 

 readily distinguish this form from its allies. Described from 

 Detroit. 



793 ( ). Stenus morio Grav., Mori. Col. Micr., 1800, 230. 



Elongate, slender. Black, strongly shining, very sparsely clothed with 

 fine gray pubescence. Head twice as wide as long, surface between the eyes 

 feebly concave, coarsely and closely punctate. Antennae pieeous, reaching 

 nearly to middle of thorax, third joint slightly longer than fourth. Thorax 

 widest just in front of middle, thence distinctly converging and feebly 

 sinuate to base ; disk rather coarsely, evenly and deeply punctate. Elytra 

 at base slightly narrower than head, suture one-fifth longer than thorax; 

 disk coarsely, evenly and deeply punctate, the punctures separated by more 

 than their own diameters. Abdomen finely and sparsely punctate, the first 

 four segments as wide as elytra with distinct border, then distinctly taper- 

 ing to apex, the border very narrow. Length 2.8-3 mm. 



Marion County ; scarce. May 22-June 12. Taken by sweeping. 

 Ranges from Michigan to California. 



Group II. 



In this group the abdomen is margined and the fourth joint of 

 tarsi bilobed. Of the four species recognized by Casey, but one 

 has a known distribution which would bring it within the limits of 

 Indiana. This is 8. croceatus Casey, 3.7-4.5 mm. in length, and 

 having the legs pale brownish-yellow, darker at the knees. Its 

 range is given as New England to Nebraska, but no specimen has 

 as yet been taken in Indiana. 



Group III. 



This group comprises species having the abdomen cylindrical, 

 without a margin along the sides and with the fourth joint of hind 

 tarsi simple. Three species may occur in the State, though but one 

 has as yet been taken. 



KEY TO SPECIES OF GROUP III. 



a. Elytra 1 punctures isolated and distinct. 



h. Robust, very convex, nearly cylindrical ; densely pubescent, very 

 coarsely punctate ; length 2.5-2.7 mm. gratiosus. 

 bh. Much more slender, depressed; very sparsely pubescent, finely punc- 

 tate ; elytral suture one-third longer than thorax ; length 2 mm. 



curtus. 



aa, Elytral punctures more or less confluent, the surface very rough ; first 

 joint of hind tarsi more than twice the length of second; length 

 3.5 mm. 794. alacer. 



