Cambridge Entomological Club, 1874
PSYCHE

A Journal of Entomology

founded in 1874 by the Cambridge Entomological Club
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This is the CEC archive of Psyche through 2000. Psyche is now published by Hindawi Publishing.

H. C. Fall.
Four New Myrmecophilous Coleoptera.
Psyche 19(1):9-12, 1912.

This article at Hindawi Publishing: https://doi.org/10.1155/1912/98170
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FOUR NEW MYRMECOPHILOUS COLEOPTERA.
By H. C. FALL,
Pasadena, California.
The following brief paper is offered primarily for the purpose of making known a most remarkable Rhyncophorous myrme- cophile recently discovered in Arizona by Mr. Wm. M. Mann. Opportunity is taken however to describe three other myrmecophil- ous novelties, two sent me by Mr. Mann, the other found by myself in California. Two of the four species are notable, in that new genera must be erected for their reception. Liometophilus gen. nov. (Curculionidze). Body narrow, costate, and clothed with non-contiguous appressed, and short stout erect, scales.
Head evenly convex; eyes small, coarsely granulated, com- pletely uncovered and separated by five or six times their own width as seen from the front. Beak shorter than the prothorax, subequal in length to the front thighs, moderately stout, feebly evenly arcuate, gradually feebly narrowed to the antenna1 insertion (as viewed from the front), the tip little expanded. Antenne inserted at apical 215, scrobes lateral, continued beyond the point of insertion to the apex, scape not quite reaching the eye; funicle 6-jointed, first joint obconic; nearly twice as long as wide, second narrower and a little shorter, 3-6 subequal in length, grad- ually wider, each a little shortei than the second, the sixth as wide as long; entire funicle and club pubescent, the latter ovate pointed, as long as the three preceding joints and feebly annulate in outer half. Prothorax longer than wide, dorsum strongly produced over the head, disk bicostate from the front margin to a strongly elevated submedian transverse ridge which extends from side to side and is abruptly almost vertically dedivous behind. At the bottom of the declivity is a transverse impressed line each side, behind which the surface becomes convex. Elytraelongate, wider than the thorax, sides broadly arcuate, humeri distinct, apices separately rounded, disk with rows of rather coarse punctures, the second, third, fifth and seventh interspaces costiform and bearing a series of stout erect scales. Pectoral channel deep and wide, extending into the mesosternum, the margin of the recess broadly flaring and prominent. Mesosternal epimera narrowly attaining the pro- thorax, gradually wider posteriorly, the episterna not reaching the elytral margin. Metastemum longer than the first ventral segment, side pieces narrowly exposed, the suture indistinct because of the vestitwe. First, second and fifth ventral segments longer, third and fourth equal, each a little shorter than the second; first suture fine, broadly arcuate at middle; following sutures deep and straight. Leg8 moderate; claws simple.




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Pqche [February
t
Liometophilus manni sp. nov.
Dark brown, elytra with a subbasal and post-median transverse fascia in which the scales are paler; beak and prothorax finely granulose, each granule bearing a rounded appressed scale; beak also with numerous shorty stouty erect scales. Pro-
thorax with anterior margin reflexed? slightly notched at apex and bearing together with the discal and elytral cost^ a single line of longer erect scales; disk of prothorax behind the transverse groove densely scaly and with a median impressed line. Elytra with rows of coarse puncturesy somewhat as in Areoschizus; scales appressed except on the summits of the coste.
Legs clothed like the beak with appressed and short, stouty erect scales- Other characters as in the generic description, or in the figures.
Length 3.5 mm.; width 1.2 mm.
Described from two examples taken by Mr. Wm. M. Mann, then of Stanford University, now at the Bussey Institution, Har- vard University, Forest Hills, Mass. Mr. Mann writes me that the two specimens were found in runways of different nests of Liometopum apiculatum Mayr., Aug. 15, 1910, in Ramsey Canyon, Huachuca Mts., Arizona.
This very odd and interesting weevil is evidently a Cryptorhynch (Group Cryptorhynchi-Lec. & Horn Class.) but does not show close a5ity to any genus known to me.
Type in my collection;
paratype in Mann collection.
I am much indebted to Mr. A. B. Wolcott of the Field Museum of Natural History for the accompanying very characteristic figures (Plate 3). The eyes are drawn a little too large in the lateral view, as is also the antenna1 club in the dorsal aspect. Lophioderus ovipennis sp. nov. (Scydmzenide). Elongate, entirely rufotestaceous, impunctuate; pubescence sparse? recurved. Antennae ( Q ) barely as long as the head and prothorax> the joints proportioned nearly as in gracilis. Head elongatey eyes much smaller than in gracili.~~ their dia- meter but slightly greater than the thickness of the basal joint of the antenn~. Prothorax distinctly longer than wide, widest at about the middley form and sculp- ture as in gracilis except that the base and apex are more nearly equaly and the trans- verse basal impression is less distinct. Elytra nearly twice as long as widey twice as wide as the prothorax, oval? widest at middley sides obliquely narrowed to base, humeri completely wanting, All else as in gracilis. Length 1.65 mm.; width -55 mm.
Described from one of a series of specimens taken (IV-4-08] at Kendrick, Idaho, in nest of Aphmoqaster subterranea var. occidentalis by Prof. A. L. Melander and sent me by Mr. Mann. In its small eyes and obsolete humeri this species agrees best



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VOL. XIX, PLATE 3.
FALL-LIOME TOPOPHILUS MANNI.




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1912) Fall-Myrmecophdous Coleop‰âÂe 11
with the description of myops Csy., but that species is smaller and less elongate according to measurements given (length 1.35 mm.; width .6 mm.) the prothorax scarcely longer than wide, the transverse basal impression of the latter deeper than in gracilis and the color quite different.
I am not aware that beetles of this genus have been found with ants and it is possible that the association was in this case acci- dental; the small eyes and obsolete humeri may be significant and indicative of a more subterranean life.
Of the other species of this interesting genus, biformis Makl. occurs in Alaska (Queen Charlotte and Prince of Wales Islands), arcifer Csy., described from Astoria, Oregon, was found by Mr. H. S. Barber at Eureka in Northern California; gracilis is not rare about San Prancisco Bay; myops is described from San Fran- cisco.
Batrisodes aphzenogastri sp. nov.
Red brown, polishedy subimpunctate, sparsely finely pubescent. Closely in agreement in all general features and most details with the other members of the group to which it belongs. By Casey's table-Annals N. Y. Acad. Sci. VII, 1893, p. 469-it falls with albionicus and zephyrinusy being most nearly allied to the formery from which it is separable with certainty only by the pygidial char- acters of the female. In the male the pygidium is broadly evenly convex, in the female rather strongly tumid posteriorly as a wholey and with a small basal con- ical tubercle. The two small median prominencies at the base of the first dorsal segment of the abdomen are not appreciably produced backward as carinze, and are mutually nearer together than either is to the inner line of the side margin. The median pronotal sulcus is feebly impressed, but detectable in basal half. Length 2.5 mm.; width -8 mm.
Kendrick, Idaho.
Described from one pair taken by Prof. A. L. Melander, in nests of Aphmogaster subtewanea var. occidentalis, and sent me by Mr. Mann.
Xenomedon gen. nov. (Staphylinid ze) .
Body rather broad and somewhat depressed, integuments densely punctuate and dull.
Head subquadrateå eyes small; labrum quadridentate, the teeth acute, very nearly equal in prominence, the two middle ones a little more distant; gular sutures rather widely separated, most approximate before the middle; third joint of max- illary palpi ovaly not quite twice as long as wide, apex broadly squarely truncate. Antenn~ moderatey not appreciably wider distally, joints 1-10 feebly obconicaly the first about twice as long as widey wider than and subequal in length to the two



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Volume 19 table of contents