THE MEXICAN GRAIN BEETLE. 9 
present. No statement was made in regard to the habits of any 
species, but it was surmised by the correspondent that they all bored 
into the timbers of the crib. In this event it is probable that one of 
the grain borers (Dinoderus truncatus Horn) was present. 
DESCRIPTION. ' 
THE ADULT. 
Before proceeding with a technical description of the insect it 
should be stated that the adult, or beetle, is about three-sixteenths 
of an inch in length, deep brown in color, and highly polished. It has 
been mistaken for a tenebrionid and has been compared with Tribo- 
lium, but it resembles the Ulomini only superficially and can be dis- 
tinguished readily by its highly polished surface, by its longer antennae, 
and by the five-jointed posterior tarsi. 
This species was given the name which it now bears by Reitter in 
1875, la a new genus being erected for its reception and placed by its 
describer near the genus Antherophagus in the family Cryptophagidae. 
Afterwards it was removed to the Erotylidse, and more recently it has 
been classified by the same writer 10 as belonging to the Cryptophagi- 
dse and the group Cryptophagini. 
The genus Pharaxonotha is characterized by Reitter as follows : 
Genus PHARAXONOTHA Reitt. 
Antennae stout, almost as in Antherophagus. Gular margin with a prominent tooth. 
Prosternum behind the coxae subdilated, apex obtusely rounded, sides margined. 
Front biimpressed, prothorax hardly narrower than the elytra, sub transverse, sides 
entire, angles not thickened, basal and lateral margins slightly thickened, base on each 
side with an abbreviated and strongly impressed line. Elytra striate-punctate, striae 
entire and deeper toward apex, humeral angles acute and slightly prominent, anal 
abdominal segment subtuberculate at tip. Tarsi 5-jointed, fourth joint shorter and 
narrower than the preceding. Body elongate, robust, upper side hardly visibly 
pubescent. 
The species is thus described by Reitter: 
Pharaxonotha kirschi Reitt. 
Oblong, slightly convex, subglabrous, fusco-castaneous, shining; head rather 
densely and rather deeply, and prothorax less densely punctate, sub transverse, almost 
truncate at apex, sides nearly straight, bisinuate at base, elytra finely striate-punctate, 
striae toward apex less deep, sutural stria posteriorly more impressed; beneath sparsely 
punctate, very finely and sparsely hairy. 
Length, 4-4.5 mm.; width, 1.2-1.5 mm. 
The beetle is illustrated in figure 1, a. 
THE EGG. 
The egg is somewhat variable in shape and size. It is more or less 
elongate-ellipsoidal in form and milk-white in color, and the surface 
is rather finely shagreened. The length varies from 0.94 to 0.99 mm. 
and the width from 0.35 mm. to 0.39 mm. 
a Numbers in superior type refer to corresponding numbers in the bibliographic 
list, page 13. 
