894 



FA MILY XLVI. IA'MEXYLONIDiE. 



Casey, loo. ext., described as new C. oculatus from Indiana, stat- 

 ing that it " differs from concolor by having the punctures of elytra' 

 narrow and elongate, antenna? less elongate and elytra more de- 

 pressed, with subobsolete first costa." It is probably to be ranked 

 as a variety only. 



Family XLVI. L YMEX YL ONIDiE . 

 The Ship-timber Beetles. 



This is another small family represented in North America by 

 only three known species. They are elongated, narrow beetles 

 with short serrate antenna?, which are 11- jointed and inserted at 

 the sides of the head. Our species have the head deflexed, nar- 

 rowed behind, the eyes large; maxillary palpi four-jointed, stout, 

 very large and fiabellate in the male; thorax with the side margins 

 well defined ; prosternum short ; mesosternum large, flat ; meta- 

 sternum long, with narrow side pieces; elytra entire; front and 

 middle coxa? conical, large, prominent, contiguous, their cavities 

 open behind; hind coxa? transverse, prominent on the inner side; 

 legs slender, moderately long, tibia? with small terminal spurs; 

 tarsi five-jointed, filiform, their claws simple. 



The name of. the typical genus, Lymexylon, is derived from two 

 Greek words meaning "to ruin" and "wood," the larva? of the 

 best known European species, L. navale, causing great damage by 

 boring small round holes in ship timber. The genera being mono- 

 typic, there is no literature other than the isolated descriptions of 

 the species, two of which have been taken in Indiana, while another 

 may occur. 



KEY TO INDIANA GENERA OF LYMEXYLONIDJE. 



a. Elytra entire ; length 10 or more mm. 



Top of head with a small deep line at middle ; abdomen with six ven- 

 tral segments. I. Hyleccetus. 

 l)~b. Top of head without visible line; abdomen with five ventral seg- 

 ments. II. Lymexylon. 

 aa. Elytra a little shorter than abdomen ; length less than 3 mm. 



MlCROMALTHUS. 



I. Hyleccetus Lat. 1806. (Gr., "wood + bed.") 



This genus is represented in the eastern United States, including 

 Indiana, by the single species : 



1698 (5384). Hyleccetus lugubris Say, Bost. Journ. Nat. Hist, I, 1S35, 

 166 ; ibid. II, 642. 



Elongate, slender. Head, thorax and prosternum rufous; elytra and 

 mesosternum black ; abdomen and legs yellow ; antennas black, one to three 



