200 
Psyche 
[September 
and more slender of the two species; there is little overlap of the 
gross measurements and the elytra and pronotum are relatively 
longer than in P. latefasciatus. Connation of the abdominal sternites 
is stronger in P. costaricensis. Superficially, P. costaricensis can be 
distinguished by it slighter coloration and smaller streaks of recum- 
bent white hairs. The pronotal structure of these species is unique 
for New World Ptinus and separates these species from the P. in- 
terruptus group of Fall (1905), the species of which are patterned 
similarly to P. latefasciatus. 
Biology 
Ptinus costaricensis and P. latefasciatus were found to be breeding 
in coati (Nasua narica) scats. Coati troops were observed to use 
logs and large branches on the ground as part of their travel routes 
through the river-bottom forest along the Rio Higueron. Their 
feces, small flat cakes 5-6 cm. or less in diameter, were very numerous 
on these exposed surfaces. Many of the dry scats contained one to 
several larvae and pupae, and adults subsequently emerged from 
collected material. Naked pupae were in cavities in the scats; the 
larvae do not construct cocoons as has been noted for other ptinid 
species (Howe and Burgess, 1952). 
Small dry deposits of fecal material may be the natural reservoir 
for many ptinid species as indicated by the few records for native 
species and some economic pests. Hinton (1941) summarizes the 
host data for British species, including nearly all of the economically 
important Ptinidae. The latter are known from a diverse assortment 
of dried organic materials, from stored cereals and grains to soiled 
clothing, bath sponges and opium cakes. Species that have success- 
fully invaded the stored products habitat probably have come from 
several natural habitats, one of these being animal feces. For example, 
Niptus hololeucus Fald., a cosmopolitan pest in stored products, has 
been collected from rodent droppings (Hinton, 1941). Reddell 
(1966) has collected a new species of Niptus from raccoon scats in 
a Texas cave and several other species have been described by Brown 
( I 959)> also from caves and these may have similar habits. Ptinids 
recorded from bird nests (Linsley 1944, Woodroffe 1953) may 
also be associated with fecal material. 
Adults of P. latefasciatus and P. costaricensis were commonly 
collected by sweeping understory vegetation of the river-bottom forest 
but were not taken in drier sites away from the river. As native 
ptinid species are rarely encountered by collectors, the occurrence of 
