600 



FAMTLY XXV. — 1IISTERIDJE. 



LeConte, John E. — "A Monograph of the North American His- 

 teroides," in Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist., V, 1845, 32-86, pis. 

 T-YI. 



Horn,— "Synopsis of the Histeridae of the United States," in 



Proe. Amer. Phil. Soc., XIII, 1873, 270-363. 

 Casey. — "Descriptions of isolated Genera and Species of His- 



terida?," in Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., VII, 1893, 533-578. 

 Nearly 2,000 species of the family are known, about 260 of which 

 are from North America. Of these 68, distributed among 13 genera, 

 have been taken in Indiana. The family is first divided into three 

 tribes, and these in turn into genera. 



KEY TO TRIBES OF HISTERIDiE. 



a, Head stretched out forward or horizontal; mandibles very prominent; 

 form very much depressed. Tribe I. Hololeptini, p. 600. 



aa, Head retracted, bent downward; mandibles not very prominent; form 

 convex, usually rounded, oval or cylindrical. 

 1). Presternum distinctly lobed in front (the lobe very short in Tribalus.) 



Tribe II. Histrtni, p. 601. 

 hlj. Presternum not lobed in front. Tribe III. Saprini, p. 617. 



Tribe I. HOLOLEPTINI. 

 This tribe contains in onr fauna the single genus : 



I. Hololepta Payk. 1 811. (Gr., 1 ' all i thin. ") 



Medium-sized, oblong or nearly square, very flat and thin beetles 

 which live usually beneath the close bark of freshly felled poplar, 

 tulip and elm trees. They have the labrum deeply and broadly 

 grooved, its apex triangular and strongly bent downward ; front 

 tibia? dentate on the inner edge ; an ten rial club without distinct 

 cavity for its lodgment, being merely received in a slight depres- 

 sion on the under side of thorax. Two species are known from the 

 State. 



1141 (3460). Hololepta lucida Lee, Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist., V, 1845, 37, 

 pi. I, fig. 2. 



Subquadrate, depressed. Thorax transverse, apex widely emarginate, 

 base truncate, hind angles obtuse ; disk punctured at the sides, the margi- 

 nal stria entire; apical angles of male with a deep pit. Elytra with first 

 dorsal stria entire; the second very short, basal; third a mere puncture at 

 base; subhumeral deep, abbreviated at both ends. Length S mm. 



Marion and Posey counties; scarce. March 10- April 21. Taken 

 from beneath cottonwood bark in low damp woods. 



