4 THE WORK OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.89 Front of head mostly rugose; first segment of hind tarsus slen-. Anterior margin of head with a sharp triangular tooth on each side of median superficial emargination, sides of head gradually and evenly rounded to genal lobes.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 11
Although this genus is usually listed on page 1(X) of the second volume of the Coleopterologische Hefte, it was actually established on page 82 of the first volume. The habits of different species are somewhat different, some are attracted to the excrement of higher animals, and some live under plant debris.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE CHAPIN 15
Of the 18, four are from Cuba, seven from Hispaniola (La Moriniere, Haiti) and seven from Puerto Rico. Elytra broadly and deeply striated, strial punctures conspicuous, intervals subacutely carinated, except outer where the carina is replaced by several smooth points, each with an irregular double row of rather fine and limited punctures each with thin curds. Abdominal sternites strongly punctured and rather thick, transverse basal row of pits on each sternum well defined, these pits especially deep and elongate at bottom.
Elytra with broad and deep striae, strial punctures coarse and conspicuous, carinating at intervals subacutely except the outer one, which lies very deeply, flat and strongly gluey, each carina having an irregular double row of fine particles. Sides of metasternum very rough, central area slightly shiny, coarse and densely pierced, central groove deep, abrupt ter-. Posterior femur somewhat shiny, with complete posterior marginal groove, surface finer but fairly closely pierced; posterior tibia with accessory spine.
Elytral striae not coarse, strial punctures well defined, intervals flat on the disc and subacute carinate near the apex, each with a single row of moderately coarse punctures, surface strongly alutaceous.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — OHAPIN 19
Surface moderately dense and very coarsely pierced; In general, each puncture is separated from its nearest neighbor by less than its own. Intervals subconvex, alutaceous, each with a single row of moderately coarse holes along the outer edge. Metasternum laterally opaque, finely and densely sculptured, central area glossy, coarsely and sparingly pierced, central groove deep, abruptly terminated both anteriorly and posteriorly.
Posterior femur with trace of marginal groove near insertion of tibia, surface shining, moderately coarse and sparsely punctured; posterior tibia without accessory spine. Beautiful to black, anterior margin of head and pronotum and legs chestnut, anthemiae and trophi paler. Pronotum with marginal setae short and inconspicuous, marginal groove moderately fine across base, wider laterally.
Interpositions nearly flat, finely alutaceous, each with a single row of fine punctures along its outer margin.
WEST INDIAN" APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 21
Clench, and two from the Bahamas (Nassau and Arthurs Town), the latter in the collection of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and two specimens from Andros Island, May-June 1917, W. Piceous, opaque, anterior margin of head appears castaneus , legs castaneus, anterior tarsi, antennae and trophi paler. The anterior margin of the head is broadly rounded on either side of the broad medial margin, narrowly unpointed, the front moderately coarsely pierced at the sides, the holes tending to merge into short longitudinal channels, the medial portion rather thinly pierced, the apex rather coarse and very closely pierced.
Pronotum with inconspicuous marginal seta, marginal furrow complete, surface densely and rather evenly punctured, punctures very coarse but not confluent laterally, finer towards anterior part of disc. Metasternum somewhat shining, finely sculptured laterally, median area thick and sparsely punctured, median furrow ending abruptly posteriorly.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 23
Material examined.—Six specimens from Hispaniola, 14 specimens from Puerto Eico, two specimens from the island of Vieques, and a single specimen from Trinidad, the last received by the British for study. Anterior margin of head obtusely angular on each side of shallow median margination, anteriorly finely, transversely wrinkled, parietal strongly polished, sparsely rather than coarsely punctured, punctate faintly. Pronotum with small marginal setae and rather sparsely placed, especially at the base, marginal groove entire, posterior angles almost obliterated.
The surface is opaque, densely and moderately thickly punctured, the punctures only slightly rarer in the anterior part of the disc. Metasternum somewhat shining, finely and densely sculptured in extreme lateral area, median area somewhat deepened along furrow, sparsely and rather thickly punctured, median furrow deep, ending abruptly anteriorly. Abdominal sternites coarsely punctured, densely, with sparse median long, basal transverse line of pits on each sterne fine and distinct.
There is also a single specimen of this species from Carriacou in the Grenadines, near Limlair, 17 January 1936 (Blackwelder station 144).
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 25
Front of the head is rounded on each side of the median subangular rim, front strongly convex, center almost globular, very finely and even more densely pierced, vertex a little more coarsely pierced. Elytral striae fine and deep, ray points absent, intervals weakly convex, finely scented, very sparse and finely pointed, the punctures tending to form two rows on each interval. Abdominal sternites finely punctured, more coarsely so on sides, basal transverse row of pits on each sternum finely.
The anterior margin of the head is broadly rounded on either side of the moderately deep median margin, the anterior convex, in the males finely and rather closely punctured, and finely transversely rugulose near the margin; in women much stronger rugulose, almost to the apex, the apex coarser and not densely punctured.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 27
H. Edwards, Government entomologist of Jamaica
Anterior margin of head broadly rounded on either side of moderate median margin, front mod-. Pronotum with marginal setae fine and regular, those across base very short and inconspicuous, marginal groove entire, posterior angles rounded but distinct. Surface shiny, set with a mixture of coarse and fine punctures, the coarse punctures missing from the anterior area of the disc.
Elytral striae deep, ray tips rather coarse, intervals moderately convex, finely and irregularly punctate. Metasternum shining, lateral portions smooth except for a small sculptured area near extreme lateral margin, median portion slightly concave, sparsely but not finely punctured, median groove deep, ending abruptly anteriorly and posteriorly. Abdominal sternites coarsely sparsely punctured at sides, very sparsely punctured along midline, basal transverse row of pits on each sternite sharply defined.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 29
Abdominal sternites rather coarsely and densely punctured at the sides. sparser so along midline, basal transverse row of pits on each sternitefine. Anterior femur with perimarginal groove, surface shining, sparsely and finely punctured with very few very coarse punctures near posterior margin. Material examined.— A specimen from Teapa, State of Tabasco, Mexico, determined by Bates and received from the Biologia Centrali- Americana material; an example from Habana, Cuba, T. collection of Museum of Comparative Zoology); and a specimen from Grand Terre, Guadeloupe, 14 November 1935 (Blackwelder.
Pronotum with long marginal setae laterally, short and sparse along base, marginal furrow entire. Elytral punctures moderately sharp and deep, strial punctures coarse, placed slightly off-center in stria so that they tend to touch adjacent interval, intervals slightly convex, shining, very irregular and finely punctate.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 31 sparsely sculptured. Pygidial carina with strong median cusp
On each side of the median and just behind the middle coxae is a group of two or more very coarse punctures. Material examined.—Eighty-four specimens from the West Indies, besides numerous specimens from Florida, Mexico, Hon-. The degree of alutaceousness of the elytral intervals and the strength of the punctures on the head appear to vary across geography.
The small patch of coarse punctures on each side of the metasternum seems to be the surest difference to separate this species from the other large Ataemus. Apically, the polished portion of each interval becomes progressively narrower until at the extreme apex the intervals are strongly alutaceous with median rows of microscopic polished raised points.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 33
Metasternum polished in the center, clearly pierced, with a deep, narrow medial groove ending abruptly both anteriorly and posteriorly; the area adjacent to the middle coxae is shaved and hairy, posteriorly and adjacent to the posterior coxae, very thinly pierced and with a scale-like ground sculpture. Abdominal sternites coarsely and sparingly pierced, each with a transverse row of coarse contiguous pits in the basal part. Researched material. - Twenty-five specimens from Jamaica, as follows: 17 specimens from the type locality, February 24, 1937 (Chapin and Blackwelder station 377); one copy from Spanish Town, February 2, 1937 (Chapin and Blackwelder station 420); three speci-.
This species and Ataenius nigrolineatus Hinton of Panama are, to the writer's knowledge, the only described species of the genus in which the elytra are distinctly vittate. Front part very finely punctate above, finely and transversely wrinkled below, top coarsely and not densely punctate. Surface slightly shining, disc with a few coarse punctures between very fine punctures, laterally the coarse punctures become dense and subconfluent.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 35
Posterior femur slender, shiny, thin and finely perforated, without marginal groove; posterior tibia without accessory spine. Researched material. Eighteen specimens from Haiti, six from the Dominican Republic and one from Point Cangrejos, Puerto Rico, April 6, 1920, G. There is another specimen from 15 miles northeast of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, August 26. 1935 (Black-welderstation30) which appears to be an anomalous individual of this species. long and less densely pierced than normal.
Ataenius versicolor Hinton, 1937, Ann. Hinton's specimens from Dominica and .Jamaica now in U. S. National Museum, not Schmidt). Pronotum with marginal setae sparse and irregularly placed, marginal groove complete but fine across base. Surface very finely alutaceous, in the male minutely and rather sparsely punctured with sparse coarse punctures laterally and across the base, in the female, similar, but with coarse punctures more closely spaced.
Mesosternum finely sculptured, strongly pubescent, metasternum glossy, minutely and sparingly punctuated, medial groove ending abruptly anteriorly, disappearing posteriorly.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 37
No specimens have been seen from any other West Indian islands or from the mainland. Surface very thick and rather dense laterally, the punctures becoming finer and rarer on the disc where they are of both sizes. 40 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol.89 But in the structure of the mesosternum and mesocoxae, which points seem to be most likely to separate Euparix from Aphaenius,.
One of these is known to be associated with ants of the genus Atta^ and it is probable that it is. Front finely and rather densely pierced in upper part, finely granulated near edge, central area smooth and slightly raised. Surface in basal half very coarsely and rather densely pitted, anterior half across disc coarsely to finely punctate, margin margins nearly unblemished.
Abdominal sternites with several very large, shallow, ill-defined pits, pits of basal transverse rows very large, square and contiguous.
WEST INDIAN APHODIINAE — CHAPIN 41
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