TENEBRIONIDAE BEETLES OF THE NEVADA TEST SITE' by Vasco M. Tanner^ and Willis A. Packham^ INTRODUCTION In August 1959 Brigham Young University initiated an ecological study of the animals at the Nevada Test Site. As part of that study, emphasis was given to the ground-dwelling lu-thropods. One of the largest resulting collec- tions was beetles in the family Tenebrionidae. Tliese are herein described, and notes on dieir relative abundance, seasonal occurrence, and plant community relationships at the test site are included. Tlie results reported here deal with those collected between August 19.59 and July 1963. The Nevada Test Site is situated in southern Nye Countv adjacent to northwestern Clark- County and southwestern Lincoln County, about 70 miles northwest of Las Vegas, Nevada (refer to Allred, Beck, and Jorgensen, 1963a). It is appro.ximatelv 40 miles long and 35 miles wide. Beetles were taken from three major areas of the test site Bkiciiam Young University Science Bulletin ACKNOWLKDfAIKNT Acknowli-ilgment is made of United States Atomic KiuTj^- Commission contracts AT(ll-l)- 786 and Af( 11-1 ) 13.55 witli Brigliam Young Ijniversifv wliidi pro\'idod financial support for part of tliis study. We are grateful to Drs. Dor- aid M. Allred and D Elden Beck, principiil and ass(K-iate investigators of tlie Nevada Test Site ecology' projects, for permission to utilize their data and for their suggestions. Appreciation is expressed to Dr. Harold J. Grant, director of entomology. Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia; Dr. T. J. Spilman, Department of Kntomology, U. S. National Museum, and Mr. Hugh B. Leech, curator of entomology, Calif- ornia .Academy of Sciences, for many c-ourtesies and loans of specimens to the senior author while at these respective institutions. We wish to thank .Mr. Douglas Hill of the Brigham Young University English Department, our artist, for the care he has taken in making the drawings contained in tiiis paper; and the personnel as- sociated with the Brigham Young Uni\ersity ecology project at the Nevada Test Site and Pro\o campus laboratory for the c-ollection and preparation of specimens. ACCOUNTS OF THE SPECIES The family Tenebrionidae in the United States is large and varied, with over 1,440 species and subspecies. The keys and literature to the family are scattered through many books and journals, and the ta.xonomic references to this family are voluminous. One of the e;irly work- ers wiis John L. LeConte, who described many species (1851, 1858). The great inorphologist, Lacordair, published a section on Tenebrionidae in his Histoire Naturelle dcs Insccta (1859). George H. Horn (1870) monographed the fam- ily and published additional treatises in 1874, 1878, and 1891. Thomas L. Casey was one of the prolific workers on this family. He revised the subfamilies Tentvriinae, Coniontinae, and the tribe Asidini (Casey 1907, 1908, 1912) and named man\' new genera and species. In 1909 Frank K. Blaisdell began a long series of publi- cations on the tribe Eleodiini. From his works came many of the subspecific names used in this study. As far as can be detennined, very little has been publisheti on the ecology of the beetles of the family Tenebrionidae, although the ta.xonomic papers of Horn (1870) and La- Rivers (1942, 1947, 1948) include notes on hab- itat and seasonal occurrence. In the four years this study was in progress at the Nevada Test Site, 14,6.50 specimens rep- resenting .31 genera and 46 sfX'cies and sub- species Were cxillected. These are presented in the following check-list arranged l)v subfamih', tribe and genus. Tlie number precetling the name indicates its rank in frecjuency of abun- dance at the test site. The numbers and letters following each name refer to the subfainil\ (1-1), tribe 1(1-1), genus 1(1-1)A and species 1(1-1).\-1. If the description of each category along with this code is followed, there should be very little difficulty in making a determina- tion of a species. Subfamily TENTYRIINAE ( 1-1 ) Tribe Eurymetopim 1(1-1) 9 Metoponium convexicolle LeConte 1(1-1)A-1 24 Hijlocrinus lahorans Casey l(l-l)B-2 33 Stcripluinus lubricaiis Casey l(l-l)C-3 Tribe Auchmobiim 2(1-1) 21 Auchmobius siihborcus Blaisdell 2(l-l)A-4 Tribe Trimytini 3( 1-1 ) 27 Chilometopan abnomie (Horn) 3(l-l)A-5 Tribe Epitr.agim 4(1-1) 29 Mctopololxi bifossiceps Casey 4(l-l)A-6 Trilx' TnioROPiiiN-i 5( 1-1 ) 6 TrioropJuis lacius poUtus Casey 5(l-l)A-7 Tribe Edrotim 6(1-1) 3 Edrotes orbtts Casey 6( 1-1 )A-8 Tribe .Ahaeoschizim 7(1-1) 2 Aracoscliizus sitlcicolU.s Horn 7(l-l)A-9 Tribe . epsiini 8(1-1) 22 .An<7).s7i/.v l>ntnnciis Casey 8(1-1)A-10 Tribe Cryptoclossi.m 9( 1-1 ) 16 Cn/ptotilosso vcrnicoso LeConte 9(1-1)A-11 5 Ccntrioplciv imiricalu LeConte 9(1-1)B-12 Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, Febru.\ry, 1965 Subfamily ASIDINAE (1-2) Tribe Asidini 1(1-2) 11 Pelecyphorus pantex Casey 1(1-2)A-13 24 P. semilaevis (Horn) 1(1-2)A-14 19 Eitschides luctatm (Horn) 1(1-2)B-15 17 Trichiasida acerha (Horn) 1(1-2)C-16 Tribe Craniotixi 2(1-2) 35 Craniotus bhiisdeUi Tanner 2(1-2)A-17 Subfamily ELEODINAE (1-3) Tribe Eleodlxi 1(1-3) 14 Trogloderus costattis nevadits LaRivers 1(1-3)A-18 26 Embaphion dongatum Horn 1(1-3)B-19 10 Eleodes carbonaria immunis LeConte l(l-3)C-20 12 E. obscura sulcipcnnis Mannerheim 1(1-3)C-21 8 E. grancicoUis valida Boheman 1(1-2) C-22 4 E. hispihbrLs sculptilus Blaisdell l(l-3)C-23 31 E. longipilosa Horn 1(1-3) C-24 1 E. annata LeConte l(l-3)C-2.5 25 E. annata pumilu Blaisdell l(l-3)C-26 34 E. nigrina LeConte l(l-3)C-27 32 E. dlisimilis nevadensis Blaisdell l(l-3)C-28 31 E. longicoUis LeConte 1(1-3 )C-29 28 E. tenebrosa Horn 1(1-3) C-30 30 £. brutmipes brevisetosa Blaisdell 1(1-3)C-31 25 E. extricata frigida LaRivers l(l-3)C-32 Subfamily CONIONTINAE (1-4) Tribe Comoxtini 1(1-4) 34 Sphaeriontis dilatata (LeConte) l(l-4)A-33 20 Eusattus diibitis LeConte l(l-4)B-34 13 £. agnatus Casey l(l-4)B-35 24 Coniontis nevadeiisis carsonica Casey l(l-4)C-36 36 ConionteUus aigutus Casey l(l-4)D-37 Subfamily PEDININAE (1-5) Tribe Blapsti.ni 1(1-5) 23 Bhpstiinis vandijkei Blaisdell l(l-5)A-38 :M B. pubescens LeConte l(l-5)A-39 7 Notibius std)stikittis Casey l(l-5)B-40 18 Conibiosoma elongatum (Horn) 1(1-5)C-41 Subfamily OPATRINAE (1-6) Tribe Leichenini 1(1-6) 33 Anemia californica Horn l(l-6)A-42 Subfamily TENEBRIONINAE (1-7) Tribe Tenebrionini 1(1-7) 36 CoelocnemLs punctata LeConte l(l-7)A-43 33 Alacphus nevadensis Tanner, n. sp. l(l-7)B-44 24 Etipsophulus castaneus Horn l(l-7)C-45 Subfamily HELOPINAE (1-8) Tribe Helopini 1(1-8) 15 Helops attennatus LeConte l(l-8)A-46 CLASSIFICATION OF THE TENEBRIONIDAE COLLECTED AT THE NEVADA TEST SITE In this study the salient characteristics of the subfamilies, tribes, genera and species of the Tenebrionidae collected at the Nevada Test Site are presented in as simple a terminology as possible. It is hoped that these keys wiU be an aid to the student and layman in under- standing and learning about this large, inter- esting family of beetles. Some technical terms will of necessity be used, but with the aid of the accompanving drawings (Figs. I-II), we be- lieve that the descriptions and terminology may be understood. The family Tenebrionidae is the largest fam- ily of beetles in the superfamily or assemblage of widely diverse families known as the Cucu- joidea. The members of this family are com- monly known as "Darkling Beetles" and are prevalent in the western United States, where they have become well adjusted to the diy des- ert conditions. We are indebted to LeConte, Horn, Casey, Blaisdell, Bradley, Arnett and others for the use of their studies in the preparation of the follow- ing keys. VVe have selected, rearranged and added to the keys of these noted coleopterists. Rather than develop a short couplet key which is not easily used or understood by those not familiar with tenebrionid morphology, we have included rather lengthy chaiacterizations of the several categories used in this classification. The following suggestions are given to those who may use these keys. In order to determine BlIICIIAM \()INC L'MVKHbll V SciKNCt BULLETIN flit" spt'cics to uliicli a i;i\('n tciifhrioiiici hcctk' may bcloiig, A. First ilc'ti-iiniiic to \\ liitli oiu' of tlu- I'iglit siibfaiiiilies tlif spt-tiiiuii litloiigs. ( 1-1 ) to (1-8). B. Then, decide to wliicli tribe of that sub- fainilv tlie speeinien belongs. 1(1-1), etc. C. Once it is placed in the proper tribe, one will not iiave too much difficulty in as- signing it to the correct genus, e.g. 1(1-1)A. D. .\Ian\' of the genera are monotypic. One need onlv turn to the page of the te.xt and find the description of the species in (juestion, e.g. 1(1-1).\-1. If there are more tiian one species reported for a genus, a key to tiie different species will be found imder tiie genus heading. The drawings of a representative spec-ies ta- ken at tile test site have tiie main structures labeled. Reference to tiiese labeled drawings should help in uiKlerstaiKiiiig tiie terms used in the key;.. The F.vMiLY Tf.nebriomdae Tiie family Tenebrionidae may be recognized and separated from other Heteroinera Coieop- tera as follows: Front and middle tarsi five-jointed (Fig. I); tiie hind tarsi four-jointed (Fig. I); anterior coxal cavities closed behind (Fig. II); ventral abdominal segments four and five, in part connate (Fig. II); tarsal daws simple, the {>enultimate joint (Fig. I) of the tarsi not spongy beneatii. Species of eight sui:)families are represented in the collections made at tiie test site. Ki:V TO THE SUBFAMILIES (1-1) Subfamily Te.nytrunae Ventral segments of the abdomen entirely of a liornv substance; middle, or mesothoracic co.xae without trochantins; labrum or upper lip scarcely visible. Female genitalia quadrato- trianguiar in shape, vaivifer elongate, twice as long as wide; anal plate well developed, stylus rudimentary or entirely absent in some species. Male apicaie longer tiian the basaie; genital fossa large, widely open, apicaie sides of basaie infie.xed \entraliv in apical iiaif, connecting surface broadiv membranous, sides scieritized. (1-2) SubfaiiiiK .\smiNAE Epistoma, or lower (;ice between tiie mouth and eves ( F"ig. I ) truncated. \\ itli tlie margin cut into sinuses; ialirum well de\eloped, mau- diiiles thick, punctate, wide ajiicaliv, witii tip bifid; antennae with segments nine and ten wid- er tlian the eleventh wliicii is imijcdded in tiie concave apex of tiie eie\entli; meiitum large to iiKHlcr.ite in size, attaciied to a gnlar extension wiiicli ma\- in some genera fill the entire buc- cal opening; prothorax mucii wider than the head, and narrower than the elytra; legs rela- tively small, given to show movements. Genera and species subject to considerable variations. Female genitalia strongly scieritized, coxites and valvifers elongate, styli small; the terminal ab- dominal segments of the female are capable of being protruded to a remarkable length. Male aedeagus slender and elongate; apicaie is as long as the basaie and four times as wide (See figures I and II). (1-3) Subfamily Eleodln'.\e The principal characters of tiic abo\e sub- family are tiiese; mesocoxae iiave visible tro- chantins (Fig. II); the ventral abdominal seg- ments are entireiv corneous; eves not prominent, more or ie^s transverse, always emiu-ginate in front; next to the last joint of tarsi entire, not bilobed; hind joint of antennae usually longer tiian the following; hind coxae transverse, never obli(jue; tarsi spinose or setose beneatii; elytra widely embracing the body. The genitalia of the male is elongate flaxseed-shaped, apiaiie trian- gular with sides evenly arcuate, especially in the middle one-tiiird; dorsal surface with an oval, siigiitl\' impressed semi-memiiranous area. Val- vifers narrowlv iiiflexetl \entrally. Tlie female genital segments similar in structure tiiroughout llie subfamily (See tiguies I and II). (1-4) Sul>faniiiy Comontl\.\e Micklle coxiie with visible tiochantins. La- brum prominent, in great part visiliie. Tiie ab- dominal intercoxae process acute and triangular. Tile mentum moderately emarginate, tiie iiguia prominent and emarginate. Tiie apicaie of the male genitalia is elongate, several times as long BiOLex, the latter emarginate at middle; valvifer .short, tv\ic-e as long as wide, distinctly shorter than the apic-ale. Female genitalia elongate with bacula as supports in the valvifers; c-o.xites di- vided, stylus obsolete. (1-5) Subfamily Pedininae Body oval, not very convex; epistoma emar- ginate covering the base of the mandibles; la- bnun or upper lip prominent; mentnm generally trilobed in front, small; ligula or central part of the lower lip prominent; e\es transverse, some- times di\ided; eivtra embracing feebly the sides of the abdomen; middle coxae witli distinc-t trochantin; intercoxal process of abdomen trun- cate; anterior and sometimes the middle tarsi of the male dilated, and spongy beneath; hind tarsi sometimes pubescent and spinous. (1-6) Subfamily Op.\trinae Body o%'al, heud recei\'ed by the thorax as far as the eves, which are transverse, strongly emarginate and coarseh' granulated, epistoma emarginate, extending down o\er the m;mdib!es, labrum prominent, menhun small, ligula promi- nent, or slightlv emarginate, maxillae exposed; eivtra with narrow epipleurae (Fig. II), anter- ior coxae transverse or rounded. Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, February, 1965 (1-7) Subfamily Texebrioninae Beetles of this subfamily have bodies that are elongated, head prolonged, not received in the thora.x as far as the eyes, which are trans- verse and emarginate, epistoma truncate, not separated from the labrum by a clypeiis. Anten- nae with eleven joints, external ones broadened; mentum small, elytra feebly covering the sides of the abdomen, epipleurae nanow; middle coxae with noticeable trochantin; legs long, tarsi clothed beneath with silky golden or coarse pub- escence. (1-8) Subfamily Helopinae Front of head with a leatheiy or horny mar- gin or a leathery band between the front and labrum; sides of the front obliquely elevated; eyes transverse, emarginate and coarsely granu- lated; antennae thickened externally; mentum small; ligula prominent; sides of the prothorax separated by a margin from the disk, elytra with narrow epipleurae; middle coxae with dis- tinc-t trochantin; tarsi slender, head not de- flexed. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRIBES, GENERA, AND SPECIES (1-1) Subfamily TENTYRIINAE Species from nine tribes of Tentyriinae are included in this report. Each tribe and the genera are characterized below. The species of each genus are described in the text of diis study. 1(1-1) Tribe Eurymetopini Middle coxae without trochantin; mentum very large, concealing both ligula and ma.xillae; anterior tibiae with two terminal spurs, not toothed externally near the middle; mandibles never grooved externally; posterior co.xae more or less separated, the abdominal process acute to broadly rounded; elytra not embracing the sides of the body, the inflexed parts occupied wholly by the epipleiira; mentiun hexagonal, apex emarginate or sinuate; front without a pro- longed epistoma clasped b\- tlie mandibles, the right mandible at least generallv with a tooth which clasps the labrum only. Antennae slender, outer four segments broader; scutellum well de- veloped; body generally winged, though often apterous. The following three genera, Metoponium, H ylocrimts and Steriphamis, each represented by a single species, were collected at the test site. 1(1-1) A. Genus Metaponiinn may be charac- terized as follows: Anterior tibia produced externally at tip; eyes large, head with a distinct supra-orbi- tal ridge or keel; epistoma never emarginate; mandibles ridged externally above; antennae slender, extending about to the base of tlie prothorax, last four joints broader com- pressed, the eleventh as long as the tenth or longer and pointed; scutellum distinct; elytra never strongly rugose and usually with dis- tinct serial punctures; tarsi beneath with long, stiff setae; protliorax generally fully as wide as the elytra. In 1907 Col. Casey described many species of Metaponium from Arizona and California. The senior author spent considerable time in June, 1964 studying the Casey collection and species of this genus. It is our opinion that the Casey complex of species in this genus must be revised before dependable reference to species of this genus ciin be made. We are therefore con- sidering sj>ecimens of this genus as canvexicolle LeConte 1(1-1)A-1. For a description of this species see page 16. 1(1-I)B. Genus H ylocrimts has the following characteristics: Anterior tibia not externally prolonged at tip, antennae long and slender, eyes large, not deeply emarginate; body elongate, par- allel; surface glabrous; tarsi with sparse, stiff setae beneath. A single species, laharans Casey, l(l-l)B-2, be- longing to this genus was collected at Mercury. Tlie species description is given on page 17. 1(1-1)C. Genus Steriphamis has the follow- ing characteristics: Body oval, convex, glabrous, devoid of hind wings; tarsi spinulose or sparsely and very coarsely setose beneath; normal, sub- cylindrical; the anterior nearly straight as usual; frontal margin generally feebly sinu- ato-truncate, not evidently biemarginate. A single sj>eeies, lubricans Casey l(l-l)C-3 is described on page 17. Bkk.iiam Vol'nc University Science Bulletin 2(1-1) Tribe Aucmmobiim Middle foxae witlioiit trotliantin; mentum ver\' large, concealing both ligiila and maxillae; anterior tibiae with two terminal spurs, not toothed externally near the middle; mandibles never gr(K)ved externally; posterior coxae more or less niirrowlv separated, the abdominal pro- cess acute to broadly rounded; elytra not em- bracing the sides of the body, the inflexetl parts oc-cupied wholly by the epipleura; mentiim hex- agonal, Nsnth the apex more or less distinctly emarginate; front with the epistoma (absolut- ely) prolonged; epistomal lobe not clasped by the mandibles, which are folded beneath it out of sight from above. Antennae gradually en- larged and c-ompressetl outvvardly. The onlv genus in this tribe is Auchmobius, 2(1-1) A, which was rc\'ised by Blaisdell in 1934. At this time he described seven new spec-ies. The Mercurv- species is considered b\' us to be suh- boreus Blai.sdcll 1(1-1 )A-4. See the text, page 17, for description of this species. 3( 1-1 ) Tribe Tiu.mytlni Similar to Auchmobiini except that the epis- tomal lobe is clasped by the superior external ridge of the mandibles; antennae filifonn, gen- erally with the last four joints larger; seutellum well developed as in Eurymetopini; body winged or apterous, the metastemum with or without ante-coxal grooves. 3(1-1) A. Genus Chilometopon has the follow- ing characteristics: Outer ridge of the mandibles very nar- row with a small dentiform protuberance at the base; body elongate, c-onvex glabrous, fully winged; eyes large, prominent and only slightly emarginate anteriorly; tarsi long, the basal joint of the posterior variable; pro- thorax alwa\s narrowed toward the base, and widest before the middle; last antennal joint elongate, sometimes extremely so. One species, abnorme (Horn) 3(l-l)A-5, is described on page 18. 4(1-1) Tribe Epnn.uaNi Middle coxae without trochantin; mentum very large, concealing both ligula and maxillae; anterior tibiae with two terminal spurs; not toothed extemalK' near the middle; mandibles never grooved externally; posterior coxae nar- rowly separated; al)doniin;il process acute to broadly rounditl; ehtra not embracing the sides of the body, mentiini trans\ersely parallelo- gramic, the apex very broadly arcuate from side to side and not sinuate at the middle, generally much more transverse. 4(1-1)A. Genus Melopoloba lias the follow- ing characteristics: Prosternum horizontally produc-etl poster- iorly, the tip received within a large deep mesosternal excavation; eyes large but not prominent, generally finely faceted and but feebly emarginate anteriorly; t;u-si with sparse, short, stiff spiniform setae beneath the jX)sterior, at least, devoid of denser and finer pubesc-ence; supra-orbital ridges strcmg, eyes coarsely faceted; body elongate, pointed behind, basal joint of the hind tarsi at least equal in length to the fourth and usually longer; sculpture rather coarse and sparse, surface polished. The species bifoss-iccps Casey 4(l-l)A-6, is described on page 18. 5( 1-1 ) Tribe Triorophini Middle coxae without trochantin; mentum large, concealing both ligula and maxillae; an- terior tibiae with two terminal spurs, not toothed externally near the middle; mandibles never groo\ed externally; posterior coxae narrowly separated, the abilominal process acute to broad- ly rounded; elytra embracing the sides of tlie body, the inflexed parts not wholly occupied by the epipleura. 5(1-1) A. Genus Trioiophus has the following chiu-acteristics: Epistomal lobe parallel, \er\' prominent, angulate at apex, clasped toward base by the swollen basal p;u-ts of the mandibles; the lat- ter stout, each with a strong dorsal tooth clasping the labrum; e\es trans\erse. emar- ginate anteriorK-; prothorax margined at the sides; elytra inflated, with abbre\iatrtl series of coarse punctiues, epipleura nanow; legs long, tarsi with sparse spinules beneath; lat- eral lobes of front tuberculate; sides of pro- notum with a distinct margiuid bend, its base not bisinuate. The species laeois LeConte, subspecies poli- tus Casey 5(l-l)A-7 is described on page 19. 6(1-1 ) Tribe Eduotini Middle coxae without trochantin. Mentum very large, concealing both ligula and maxillae; anterior tibiae uith terminal spurs, not toothed I'xternallv near the middle; mandibles ne\er grooved extern, illy: posterior coxae widely sep- Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, February, 1965 axated, the abdominal process broadly truncate; mesostemum without ante-coxal grooves; the body wingless; elytra frequently costulate; mesostemum elevated, flat, abutting closely and on the same plane against the ape.x of the flat- tened prosternal process; hind co.xae tiansversely oval. 6(1-1) A. Genus Edrotes has the following characteristics : Body rounded, convex, with conspicuous erect hairs; head large, epistomal lobe quad- rate, with its sides parallel and sinuate, and apex broadly angulate nearly as in Trioro- phus; mentum transversely he.xagonal, the apex trisinuate; eyes small, convex, promin- ent, and imeniiu-ginate; antennae long and slender, outer joints larger, the eleventh p\ri- form and long; prothorax with prominent and acute apical angles, stronglv transverse; scutellum obsolete; elytra inflated and wide- ly embracing the body beneatli; epipleurae short; legs long, slender, the hind tarsi short, sparsely spinose and not at all grooved be- neath, with long flying hairs above as on the femora and tibiae externally; hind coxae transverse, separated bv less than their own width. Description of the species orbus Casey 6(l-l)A-8, is on page 19 of the text. 7(1-1) Tribe AjtAEOscHiziNi Middle coxae without trochantin; mentum generally small in size, never concealing both the ligula and ma,xillae; elytra without true epi- pleura; anterior coxae separated; antennae mod- erately long, thick, filiform and perfoliate, usu- ally scaley, free; legs short and stout. 7(1-1) A. Genus Araeoschiztis has the follow- ing characteristics : Body elongate, convex, hind bodv ped- unculate without humeral angles, the hind wings wanting; head elongate-oval, clypeus large; mentum rather large, flat, broadly truncate at apex; mandibles bifid at tip; eyes completely divided, coarsely faceted. The upper part elongate, sunken deeply be- tween the prominent lateral margin and a strong supra-orbital ridge; antennae about as long as the head and half the prothorax, prothorax cordate, small; scutellum triangu- lar sciu-celv passing the basal declivity of the elytra; coxae globular, moderately separated; legs short, stout, tarsi short, claws small, slen- der and arcuate. SulcicoUis Horn 7(1-1) A-9, which is a very common species in this area, is described on page 20. 8(1-1) Tribe Anepsiini Middle coxae with trochantin; labrum scarce- ly visible; tarsi spinose beneath; antennae not filiform; anterior tibiae broadly dilated. 8(1-1) A. Genus Anepsius has the following characteristics : Body rather stout, convex, glabrous; head trapezoidal, clypeus broadly and feebly sinu- ate towards the middle; eyes basal, more rounded and less coarsely faceted, usually divided by the thick anterior can thus; an- tennae slender, almost as long as the head and prothorax, third joint longer than the second; prothorax four-fifths wider than long; elytra equal in width to the prothorax, two and one-half times as long, oval, die sides evenly arcuate; legs short, slender, tlie an- terior tibiae broadly dilated at apex, with the spurs distinct; tarsi short, sparsely spinose beneath. Brunneus Casey 8(1-1)A-10 was the only species of tliis genus collected at Mercury. It is described on page 21. 9(1-1) Tribe Cryptoglossini Middle coxae with trochantin; labrum scarce- ly visible; tarsi spinose beneath; antennae not filiform; anterior tibiae slender. Eyes present; emarginate, reniform. Posterior margin of the last two abdominal segments semi-circularly emarginate. Two genera are represented in the speci- mens taken at Mercury. They may be separated by the following key: 1. Last antennal segment truncate, small- er than the tenth .. 9(1-1)A Cnjptoglossa 2. Last antennal segment oval, pointed, nearly as large as the tenth 9(1-1)B Centrioptera A description of the species Centrioptera imiricata LeConte, 9(1-1)B-12, is on page 23. Cnjploglossa verrucosa l>eConte, 9(1-1)A-11 is described on page 23. (1-2) Subfamily ASIDINAE Two tribes of this subfamily are represented in collections from the Nevada Test Site. 10 Biiic.iiAM ^<)i N(; L'niveksity Scienxe Bulletin 1(1-2) Tribe Asidim Btxlv o\ate, apterous; head narrowed beliind the eves, wliidi are transverse and kiilney-shap- ed; epistoma very short; mentuin large; an- tennae eleven segmented; elytra embracing widelv the flanks of the abdomen; epiplenrae indistinct, middle coxae with distinct trociiantin; metasternnm short, with tlic epistcrna wide; iiind coxae moderately separated; intcrcoxal process of abdomen obtuse; legs with tibial spurs dis- tinct; tarsi setose, but not sulcate beneath. Three genera are represented in this tribe. 1(1-2)A. Genus Pelccijphonis has the follow- ing characteristics: Mentum not entirely filling the buccal opening and always placed upon a rather evi- dent pedicle formed by a gular prolongation; ligula small, generally flat, angularly emar- ginate to subtnmcate and strongly retractile, usuallv hidden under the mentum, the latter alwa)s clearly separated from the closed mandibles; last joint of the ma.xillary palpi variable in size in the se.xes; prostemum de- fle.xed; body diversely sculptured, very much larger in size; tarsi with short and incon- spicuous spiniform hairs beneath; base of the prothorax truncate or arcuate-truncate; head and prothorax generally smaller, giving the body a markedly different habitus; elytra each with distinct ridges as shown in Figure XIII. Two species collected may be separated as follows: 1. Edge of pronotum unevenly scalloped, tuberculate, narrow; elytra very ven- tricose and tuberculate; outer coxa ra- ther fine but strong, the inner very fine and sulx)bsolete Fig. XIII, 1(1-2)A-13 pantcx Casey See page 24 for description. 2. Edge of pronotiun not scalloped, coarsely, sparsely ;iik1 uiu'vcnly punc- tured, the sides narrowly reflexed; elvtra elongate-oval, with distinct mar- ginal costa, each with three nearly straight parallel, moderately elevated costa, the surface between the suKire and first costa shining, the remainder opaque Fig. XIV, 1(1-2)A-14 semilaevis (Horn) See page 25 for description. 1(1-2)B. Genus Euschides has the following characteristics: Mentum not entirely filling the buccal opening and always placed upon a pedicle formed by a gular prolongation; ligula hu-ge, tumid, angularly incised; mentum always sep- arated from the closed mandibles, thus leav- ing the maxilliu-y cardo exposed in part; prosternum deflcxed posteriorly between the coxae; last joint of the maxillary palpi large and scalene in male, smaller in the female; base of the prothorax broadly lobed, bcc-om- ing anteriorly obhcjue toward the sides, basal angle obtuse, sometimes evident but never prominent. One species luctatus (Horn) 1(1-2)B-15 re- ported; see description on page 26 of text. 1(1-2)C. Genus Trichiasicla has the following characteristics: Mentum not filling the buccal opening and placed on a pedestal formed b\' a gular prolongation; Ugula large, tumid, angularly incised; mentum separated from the closed mandibles, leaving the ma.xillary cardo ex- posed in part, prosternum deflexed poster- iorly between the coxae. Last joint of the maxillary palpi differing but little sexually, never more than recti-triangular in the male; antennae more rapidly enliuged distall)-, the tenth joint with the usual two widely sep- arated tomentose spots at the tip; elytra with- out triie costae, the elevated lines when pres- ent having more or less the nature of narrow and accentuated obtuse ridges; body pub- escent; mentum small, gular pedicle long and well developed; antennae slender; basal angles of prothorax never prominent; anter- ior tibiae serrulate externally, the outer angle at tip strongly everted and acutely spiniform. One species acerbo (Horn) 1(1-2)C-16; see page 26 for description. 2(1-2) Tribe Cr. ioti.\i Middle coxae without trochantin; mentum large, concealing both ligula and niiLxillae; an- terior tibiae with two terminal spurs, not toothed externalh' near the middle; posterior coxae wide- lv separated; the abdominal process broadly truncate; body wingless; elytra frequently cos- tulate; metasternnm not elevated, discontinuous with the prosternum; hind coxae small, oval, much abbreviated trans verselv; eyes finely fac- eted; legs long and slender; female genitalia of the compact type, which is Asidini in nature. 2(1-2) A. Genus Craniotus has the following characteristics; Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, February, 1965 Body narrow anteriorly, inflated elytra; sparse to dense pubescence on the body; head small, projection at the sides anterior to the eyes extend beyond one-third the width of the head; transverse groove behind the epistome; mandibles bifid at tip, folding beneath the labrum; mentiim large, sinuate at apex and emarginate at base; antennae long and slender, the third segment much elongated, the eleventh not free but small and received within the apex of the tenth; prothorax transversely suboval; scutellum elongate; el)'tra embracing the sides of the body, epipleurae narrow, disappearing be- fore the middle of the abdomen; anterior co.xae separated; metasternum short, convex at the sides; femora and tibiae long, slender and subcylindric, hind tarsi rather short, slender, and with long hairs above and short stiff spines beneath. Female genitalia of the elongate type (Fig. XVII, 2-3). For description of the species, hlaisdelli Tan- ner 2(1-2)A-17, collected on the test site, see page 27. (1-3) Subfamily ELEODINAE Ventral segments three and four with cx)r- aceous hind margin; front entirely corneous; first joint of tarsi moderate or elongate, never very short tarsi, not compressed; eyes not prominent, more or less transverse, always emarginate in front; anterior tibiae alone or none dilated; pen- ultimate joint of tarsi entire; anterior coxae rounded; middle coxae with trochanter; an- tennae perfoliate, third joint longer than the following; hind coxae transverse, never oblique; fourth segment of maxillary palpus triangular or securiform; epipleura attaining the sutural angle; tarsi spinose or setose beneath; elytra widely embracing the body. 1(1-3) Tribe Eleodini Body oblong, apterous, head prominent; epistoma covering the base of the mandibles at the sides; labrum prominent; mentum small, trilobed, inserted upon a gular pedicle; max- illae e.xposed, maxillary palpi with the last joint securiform, not very large; eyes transverse, reni- form; antennae eleven jointed with the outer segments rounded, equal; elytra embracing wid- ely the flanks of the abdomen, epipleurae nar- row; middle coxae with large trochantin, side pieces attaining the coxal cavities; metasternum short, epistema narrow, epimera distinct; hind coxae widely separated; intercoxal process of abdomen rectangular; third and fourth ventral segments not prolonged behind at margin. Legs long; anterior femora frequently toothed; tibial spurs disHnet; tarsi channelled and setose be- neath. Key to the genera: 1. Sides of the epistoma not dilated, mar- gin straight or sinuate, converging anteriorly 2 Sides moderately dilated, margin ar- cuate 1(1-3)A Trogloderus 2. Epipleura attaining the humeral an- gles, broader at base, more or less gradually narrowing to apex, occupy- ing only a part of the inflexed portion of the elytra; buccal processes of the genae not produced ... 1(1-3)C Eleodes Epipleura very narrow, not attaining the humeral angles .. 1(1-3)B Emhaplnon 1(1-3) A. Genus Trogloderus has the follow- ing characteristics: Body elongate, rough, opaque; eyes trans- verse and renifonn; head pierced with closely set, small holes; front prolonged, covering the labrum, sides dilated and reflexed; surface briefly convex at middle, transversely im- pressed with a small deep fovea on the ver- tex; antennae with third segment as long as the two following; prothorax emarginate in front, rounded on the sides, basal angles pro- minent; disc coarsely oribate; elytra widi the suture and foin- costae each side acutely ele- vated; intercoxal process of first abdominal segment broader dian long; under surface strongly granulate; anterior femorae armed with a small to broad tooth; front tibiae curved and serrate on the outer edge; tarsi setose. Tills species, costatiis nevadus LaRivers 1(1-3)A-18 is described on page 29. 1(1-3)B. Genus Embaphion has the following characteristics : Thorax and elytra always acutely and sometimes broadly margined, margin more or less reflexed; epipleurae always narrow, rarely defined front (Figs. I and II) inflexed sides of the elytra, except at apex, where they are always well defined, not suddenly widened at base and never attaining the humeral angles of the elytra. Blaisdell made the following obsei-vation on the charac- teristics of this genus: "The above characters are distinctive of the genus and are not observed elsewhere in Eleodini." Biii(;iiAM VoLNc University Science Bulletin One species of this genus was collected at the test site. See page 29 of this report for a description of elongatum Horn, 1(1-3)8-19. Tlie genus Eleodes 1( 1-3)C has the following characteristics: Mentiim trilobed, middle lobe large and convex; apical joint of labial and maxillar)' palpi triangular; suture between epistoma and front distinct; eyes reniforni; antennae with ele%en segments, the last three usually compressed. Prothorax variable in shape and sculpture in some species prolonged into a cuada behind; epipleurae distinct. Legs fair- ly long, femora not strongly clavate, in some species ;irmed in one or both sexes with teeth. Tarsi usually channeled and setose beneath, spurs of the middle and hind tibiae well de- veloped. The genus Eleodes, because of the large niun- bers of species referred to it, has been separated into thirteen subgenera. For the list and char- acteristics of these subgenera see Tanner's paper (1961), Checklist and New Species of Eleodes, pp. 60-61. The species of Eleodes collected at the test site belong to six of the thirteen subgenera which may be separatt^d by means of the following key: Subgenus Mckinelcodes Anterior femora ai'med only in the male or mutic; anterior tibial spines dissimilar in the sexes; femora mutic. l(l-3)C-20 carbonaria iutinunis LeConte Tills is the only species of Mehneleodes we have collected on the test site. A description and discussion of the species will be found on page 29 of this rejiort. Subgenus Eleodes Anterior femora at least, anned in both sexes (except in caudifera and lon^ipilosa where teeth are abortive). Tlie species and subspecies of this subgenus may be separated as follows: 1. Body elongate; elytra strongly sulcate; intervals fjuite strongly convex, smooth, with a single series of irregu- larly, distantly spaced, feebly muri- cate punctures, which become de- cidedly muricate on the apical dtH.-liv- itv'. Sulci about e{|ual in width to the inter\als, with closely placed muricate puncturi's which become more densely plac-ed toward apex; iuflex sides of the eh'tra obsoletely sulcate and irregu- larly muricately punctured. Size, males, 25 to 31 mm in length; width 9 to 14 mm obscura stdcipeuuis Mann. 1(1-3)C-21 Description on page 30 of report. 2. Body large, oblong oval, black and shining; head twice as wide as long, punctation irregular, denser at the per- iphery. Antennae short and stout, reaching to the posterior fourth of the prothorax; third joint equal in length to the next two taken together; pronot- um widest at about the middle, disc smooth and shining, surface finely and sparseh' punctate, punctures arranged in distinct unimpressed series; epi- pleurae narrow, gradually narrowing from the base to the apex; abdomen sparsely punctate, with some reticulare rugosity; legs not long but stout; an- terior femora in both series armed with an acute tooth; female genitalia of the compact type (Fig. 11-4); size: males 26 to 29 mm in length, 10 to 12 mm in width; females, 27 to 30 mm in length, 10 to 12 mm in width. Figs. 1 and 2 grandicollis valida Boh. l(l-3)C-22 Description on page 31 of report. 3. Body elongate, ovate, integument dull and thick, black in color, frequently reddish along the suture; head and thorax more or less shining. Elytra slightly convex, sulci opaque and deep, intervals strongly convex and shining; antennae long, reaching the base of the prothorax; pronotimi widest at the middle; disc smooth, fineh' sparsely punctate; epipleurae gradually narrow- ing from base to apex; abdomen smooth, finely punctulate and rugu- lose; fifth segment more strongly punctate; legs slender; anterior femora armed with an acute tooth in both sexes. Size: males IS to 22 mm in length, 7 to 9 mm in width; females 19 to 24 mm in length, 8 to 10 mm in width ' hispihihris sctdpldis Blais. l(l-3)C-23 Description on page 32 of text. 4. Body elongate, siniace sparsely clotli- ed with long, black hairs; caudate; iongipdosa Horn l(l-3)C-24 Description on page 32 of report. 5. Bod\' large, elongate suI)o\al to sub- Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, February, 1965 13 fusiform-ovate; dull black in color, all the femora armed with long acute spines; elytra moderately striate armata LeConte l(l-3)C-25 Description on page 33 of te.xt. 6. Body smaller, punctation fine and sparse, except on head; pronotiim slightly wider than long, sides almost straight. Femoral teeth smaller and acute .... armata piimila Blais. l(l-3)C-26 Description on page 33 of text. Subgenus Metablapylis Anterior tibial spurs similar in the sexes. Tarsi similar in the se.xes, or nearly so. Middle lobe of the mentum small; anterior tarsi compar- atively simple beneath, groove entire. Lateral lobes of the mentimi fully exposed; sculpturing comparatively simple; femora mudc. The two following species of Mctablapijlis may be characterized as follows: 1. Body elongate, usually about three times as long as wide. Head less than twice as long as wide, antennae mod- erate in length; eleventh segment ov- ate, truncate at tip; pronotimi widest at or just in front of the middle, sur- face finely, densely and irregularly punctate, elytra widest at the middle, surface with fine punctures, usually arranged without order, and more or less striate; epipleurae widened be- neath the humeri, then gradually nar- rowing to apex; legs moderate in length, mutic and stout nigrina LeConte l(l-3)C-27 This species is described on page 34 of this study. 2. Bodv clyindrico-fusiform, black, some- what depressed, smooth, elytra striae rather distant; pronotum finely, but distinctly and sparsely punctulate; tibiae and tarsi with reddish-brown setae; spinules and tarsal claws strong- ly developed dissimilis nevadensis Blais. 1(1-3) C-28 Description of this species on page 34 of this report. Subgenus Steiteleodes Anterior tarsi dissimilar in the sexes. Species not usually pubescent, rarely so. Form elongate usually large; first joining of the anterior tarsi slightly thickened at tip beneath, bearing a small transverse tuft of yellowish or brownish modi- fied spinules which interrupt the groove in the male; simple in the females. The following is a brief characterization of the only species of Steneleodes taken at the test site: Body elongate to elongate fusiform, black head twice as long as wide, finely punctate; antennae stout, pronotum wid- est at the middle; disc evenly convex, sparsely punctulate; sides finely margin- ed; elytra elongate; base truncate; humeri obtuse; surface irregularly and evenly punctate; epipleurae rather wide at the humeri, gradually narrowing to apex; fe- mora not denselv punctate, the anterior mutic in both sexes longiroUis LeConte l(l-3)C-29 For further discussion of this species see page 34 of this report. Subgenus Bhiptjlis Form short ovate, moderate in size to small, robust (elongate and depressed in tibkdis); an- terior tarsi of male with first two or three joints feebly thickened at tip beneath and clothed with dense silken or brownish tufts, obliterating the groove; joints simple \\ith grooves entire in female, femora mutic. The two species of this subgenus may be separated as follows: 1. Body oblong-oval, two-and-a-thtrd times longer than wide; head twice as wide as long; antennae with four outer joints feebly compressed, third joint equal to the next tv\'o taken together; pronotum finely and densely punc- tate, widest at the middle and evenly arcuate from apex to base; elyti-a sculpturing consisting of small shiny tubercles arising from an opaque base tenehrosa Horn l(l-3)C-30 Description on page 34 of report. 2. Bodv robust, convex, coarsely and densely sculptured; color dull black, legs dark brown; head large, two-thirds as wide as the prothorax, densely pimc- tate; antennae longer than the head and prodiorax, thiid joint four times as long as wide; prothorax evenly convex, coarsely, deeply and confluently punc- tate; elytra coarsely, densely, asperat- ely punctate hrunnipes brevisetosa Blais. 1(1-3)C-31 See page 35. 14 Subgenus Lilheleodes Form ovati', iiKKlerate in size, less robust; first joint of the anterior tarsi more or less thickened and slightly more prominent ventrally than the others, pubescent tuft variable, most evident in extricato: male first joint with a min- ute tiift of silken pubescence at tip beneath. l(l-3)C-32 extricata frigida LaRivers This is the only species of Lithcleodes thus far taken at the test site. For additional com- ments on it see page 35 of this report. (1-4) Subfiimily CONIONTINAE 1(1-4) Tribe Comontim Body oval or globose, apterous; epistoma covering the base of the mandibles; labrum prominent; mentum moderate, emarginate; gu- lar penduncle short or almost obsolete; ligula prominent, emarginate; maxillae e.vposed; eyes transverse, small elytra usually with narrow epi- pleurae; anterior co.xae subtransverse; middle c-o.\ae with distinct trochantin, side pieces of mesothorax attaining the coxal cavities; meta- stemum short; hind coxae approximate; inter- coxal proc-ess of abdomen acute; tibial spurs long, tarsi spinous beneath; tlie first joint of hind tarsi long. 1(1-4)A. Genus Sphaeiiontis has the follow- ing characteristics: Elytra widely embracing the sides of the body, the epipleura variable; anterior tibiae with e\'erted external angle at apex; basal joint of anterior tarsi long; prothorax alwavs prolongwl at the sides and envelop- ing the humeri: scutellum nearly obsolete; epipleura narrow, occupying much less than the entire inflexed sides of the elytra; epi- pleura gradually becoming wider basally, sometimes extending to the sides of the elytra at base; sides of the elytra always obtusely rounded in sections, ne\er acutely margined; antennae slender, dilated apically; intercoxal process obtuse, the coxae more widely separated throughout; body more broadly rounded, ver\ convex, the sculpture more muricate; propleura with more con- spicuous hiiirs. DiUitata LeConte l(l-4)A-33 is the only species of this genus c-oUected at the test site. Description of this species is on page 35 of report. 1(1-4)B. Cenus Eusattiis has the following characteristics: Briciiam Young University Science Bulletin Similar in characteristics to Sphaeru>Htis except the interc-oxal process of the abdomen is acute, the coxae throughout narrowly sep- arated; body oblong-o\al to parallel, mod- erately convex; propleura with or without bristling hairs. Two species of this genus, dubius and agna- tiis, collected at Mercury may be separated as follows: 1. A small species; length 7.8 to 8.5 mm; width 4.2 to 4.6 mm. Body elongate, convex, polished; prothorax i\vo and one-half times as wide as its median length; elytra narrow and elongate, al- most a third longer than wide, punc- tures fine, but distinct; anterior tibiae only feebly serrulate externally dubius LeConte l(l-4)B-34 For further information on this species see page 36 of this report. 2. A larger species; length 8.9 to 9.8 mm; width 5.1 to 5.7 mm. Body broadly ob- long-o\'al, moderately convex, subglab- rous; prothorax not two and one-half times as wide as its median length; elytra elongate, as wide as the pro- thorax, parallel, surface feebly rugose, wiih sparse small muricate punctures; anterior tibiae strongly sinuate exter- nally beyond the middle .' ' agnaius Casey l(l-4)B-35 This species is discussed on page 36 of the report. 1(1-4)C. Genus Coniontis has the following characteristics: Elytra narrowly embracing the sides of the body, the epipleura constantly narrow and oc-cupving the entire inflexed piu^t; the basal joint of the anterior tarsi short, obli(]ue- ly truncate at tip; prothorax \ariable at base, but generally more truncate; scutellum well developed, trianguUu-; posterior angles of the prothorax strongh* posteriorly produced; palpi more elongate than usual, last tliree joints of the antennae moderately dilated; basal joint of the anterior tarsi longer than the next t\vo combined; obli(|ucly prominent internally at tip, tvvo to four transverse, rap- idly diminishing in size. Nevadensis carsonica Casey I ( l-4)C-36 is the only sj>eeies of this genus c-ollected at the test site. See page 36 of the text for descrip- tion of the species of this genus. Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, Febbuarv, 1965 15 1(1-4)D. Genus Coniontellus has the follow- ing characteristics: This genus is similar to Coniontides, ex- cept that the posterior angles of the pro- thora,\' are feebly produced posteriorly, the thoracic base frequenth' subtiuncate; eyes completely divided; body smaller, the legs and antennae shorter. A single species of Coniontellus argtitus Casey, l(l-4)D-37 was collected. See page 37 of text for species description. (1-5) Subfamily PEDININAE 1(1-5) Tribe Blapstini Body oval; eyes completely divided; epistoma emarginate, the inflexed part of the elytra is composed entirely oi the epiplemae; mentum not trilobed in front; dilation of the anterior tarsi of the male feeble; presence or absence of a fringe of setae along the lateral edges of the body. 1(1-5) A. Genus Bkipstinus has the following characteristics: Scutellum triangular, separating the ely- tra at base, the hind wings frequently well developed and the anterior tarsi of the male dilated as a rule; base of the prothorax bi- sinuate; anterior tibiae straight; pubescence simple; body usually oblong or oblong-oval, the sides not fimbriate; anterior tibiae simple. Two species of this genus may be separated with the aid of the following: 1. Small species. Length 5.0 to 5.1 mm, width 2.5 to 2.6 mm. Color nigra pice- ous, frontal margin, labrum and legs more or less rufous; pubescence fairly dense, decumbent and confined to the intervals; head small widest just before the eyes; epistome emarginate over the labrum; pronotiim about two-fifths wi- der than long; disc densely and evenly punctate; elytra twice as long as wide; striae distinct, punctures small; legs moderate in length and stoutness vandykci Blais. l(l-5)A-38 See page 37 of report for discussion of this species. 2. Large species. Length 6.4 to 6.5 mm. Width 3.0 to 3.1 mm. Color deep red- dish browai; pubescence yellowish, dense and decumbent on head, pro- thorax and elytra; upper portion of eyes large, round and flat; punctation on head and prothorax dense and deep; distal three segments large and oval; legs moderate in length, first and fourth tarsal segments about equal in length pubesccns LeConte 1(1-5) A-39 This species is discussed on page 37 of this report. 1(1-5B. Genus Notihtis has the following characteristics: Eyes entirely divided; scutellum very short and broad, not entering the disc of the elytra; apterous; male tarsi not dilated; prothorax laterally densely fimbriate; anter- ior tibiae broadly triangular and com- pressed; body stout, oblong-oval. One species, Notihhis stibstrintus Casey l(l-5)B-40, described on page 37 of this study. 1(1-5)C. Genus Conihiosoma has the follow- ing characteristics: Eyes entirely divided; scutellum very short and broad, not entering the disc of the elytra; apterous; male tarsi not dilated; pro- thorax laterally densely fimbriate; anterior tibiae n;irrow, non-fossorial; body narrow and parallel. Conihiosoma elongatum (Horn), 1(1-5)C-41. A description of this monotypic species will be found on page 38 of this text. (1-6) Subfamily OPATRINAE 1(1-6) Tribe Leichenini Specimens of this tribe have the fourth seg- ment of the maxillaiy palpus elongate-oval; more or less finely acuminate. 1(1-6) A. Genus Anemia has the following characteristics: Anterior tibiae not bent; vestiture not composed of short coarse recumbent hairs and long, erect, very robust bristles; anterior tibiae strongly dentate or produced exter- nally at or near the apex; eyes completely divided, or extremely neai-ly so; epipleura entire; anterior tibiae short, triangular. This genus is also a monotypic one. See page 38 for description of Anemia californica Horn, 1(1-6) A-42. BlIIGIIAM YoL'NC UiNlVEHSITV SCIENCE BULLETIN (1-7) Subfamily TENEBRIONINAE 1(1-7) Tribe Tenebbionini Body elongate, apterous, or winged, head prolonged; front dilated on the sides, covering the base of the mandibles; antenn;ie gradually thickened externally; elytra embracing feebh the sides of the abdomen; anterior coxae globose; legs long, tibial spurs small; hind margin of third and fourth ventral segments subcoriac-eous. 1(1-7) A. Genus Coeloctteviis has the follow- ing characteristic-s : Tarsi with fine, usually silken pubescence beneath; outer segments of antennae with disc-like expansions connected by a stock passing nearlv through their centers; anten- nae shorter than head and thorax; epipleura not attaining the tips of elytra; intercoxal process of abdomen broad, tnmcate. The description of C. punctata LeConte, l(l-7)A-43 will be found on page 39 of this study. 1(1-7)B. Genus Alaephus: Tarsi spinose or setose beneath; antennae elongate, slender, palpi long, tarsi slender; mentum emarginate. A single species of this genus taken at Mercury is closely related to paUidus Horn. See page 39 of this text for descTiption of Alaephus nevadensis Tanner n. sp. l(l-7)B-44. 1(1-7)C. Genus Eupsophulus: This genus is similar to Alaephus differ- ing in that the menturn is truncate in front. One species, castaneus Horn l(l-7)C-45. See page 40 for description. (1-8) Subfamily HELOPIN'AE 1(1-8) Tribe Helopini 1(1-8) A. Genus Helops: Body glabrous. Outer segments of anten- nae compressed; labriim prominent, clypeal membrane always visible; head usually pro- longed behind the eyes; elytra feebly em- bracing the body. Epipleurae entire, anterior coxae globuhir; tarsi densely pubescent be- neath; mesostemum short; intercoxae pro- cess broad or oval, never acute at tip. One apterous species attenuatus LeConte, l(l-8)A-46 is described on page 40 of tliis study. SYSTEMATIC AND ECOLOGICAL DISCUSSION OF THE SPECIES OF TENEBRIONIDAE COLLECTED AT THE NEVADA TEST SITE 1(1-1)A-1 Metoponium convexicolle LeConte References. LeConte, Ann. Lye. N. H. N. Y., V, 1851, pp. 125-216. Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sei., IX, 1907, p. 309. Morphological Characteristics. Length 6 to 7..5 mm; form stout; oblong; rather convex; chestnut brown to deep reddish black. Head somewhat coarsely and closelv punctate; supra- orbital carina prominent. .Xntcnnae fairly long and slender, the last four segments lightly com- pressed and dilated. Pronotuin about as wide a.s the elytra; rather evenly iircuate, converging slightly more anteriorly than posteriorly; punc- tures strong laterally and becoming finer med- ially; scutellum transverse and oval. Elyti"a ob- tusely rounded at tip; coarse punctures in series which bec-ome confused toward the base. Legs short and stout. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 277 specimens was collected. These were most abundant in the distiu-bed Crayia-Lycium with about one-ninth this number in Larrea-Fran- seria and one-fourth in Salsola. A few were collected in the Crayia-Lycium and Mixed com- munities, but none was found in Atriplex- Kochia, Coleog\'ne, or Pinvon-Juniper. Seasonal Activity. This species was collected from February to December, but was most abundant from April through June. There was a decline in numbers collected during July and .August followed by another population peak in September and Octolwr. In the disturbed Gravia- Lvcium the jx^riod of acti\ity was from Febru- ary through December, whereas in LaiTea- Franseria, Lvcium, and Salsola it did not begin until March and .\pril and lasted only until October. In the Larrea-Franseria, activity of this species stopped in August. Comments. At the time Casey (1907) estab- lisluxl this genus he was the author of all its Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, Febhu.^ry, 1965 members except two species, M. abnorme and M. convexicolle, which had previously been named by LeConte. Since then, Blaisdell des- cribed four more species. Because Casey be- lieved that there was little or no variation in a species, he named many new ones that today are considered synonyms. Representati\es from our series were studied bv Dr. Spilman at the National Museum and the senior author who compared them with the specimens in the Casey collection. Until tliis genus is revised and the validity of the Casey species determined, we propose to report this species as convexicolle. This was the ninth most common species at the site. l(l-l)B-2 Hylocrimis lahorans Casey Reference. Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., IX, 1907, p. 337. Morphological Characteristics. Length 6 to 8 mm; oblong-oval, rather convex; varies from dull to shining; reddish brown. Head finely and densely punctate; slight supra-orbital carina; eyes large, protruding, and entire; antennae reaching the base of the pronotum. Pronotum finely and densely punctate throughout; anter- ior apical angle short and broadly acute. Elvtra wider than pronotum; twice as long as wide, punctures feeble, close-set, and arranged in lines between the intervals. Legs slender, relatively short compared to the body. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 31 specimens was collected The greatest num- ber occurred in the Grayia-Lycium community, with about two-thirds of this number in the Lycium and Mixed communities. Disturbed Grayia-Lycium areas supported slightly fewer than half, whereas Larrea-Franseria had only one-third as many as Grayia-Lycium. Salsola had one-ninth as many as disturbed Grayia- Lycium. Tliey were not found in Atriplex- Kochia, Coleogyne or Pinyon-Juniper. Seasonal Activity. This species first appeared in June. Beetles were most abundant during June and July, and persisted in smaller numbers until December. In August there was a decline in activity which increased again in September. Observed activity ceased in September in all communities except the Mixed. There was no apparent activity in October or November but in December activity was noted again in the Mixed community. Comments. This genus was established by Casey ( 1907 ) to contain sixteen species he described from the Great Basin and contiguous areas. A comparison of specimens in question was made by the senior author with the Casey species. It is most difficult to differentiate be- tween the species of the kiborans group from the Utah-Nevada areas. Without an anatomical study we conclude that the Mercury specimens should be considered as lahorans. l(l-l)C-3 Steiipliauui liibricans Casey Figure IX-H Reference. Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci. IX, 1907, p. 345. Morphological Characteristics. Body nar- rowly oval, convex, dark piceous, legs pale ru- fous; head deeply and closely punctate; sides converging and arcuate, prothorax two-thirds wider than long, basal angles obtuse and shghtly blunt; punctures stiong and fine, becoming dense and longitudinally confluent toward the sides; scutellum broadly rounded; elytra nearly one-half longer than wide, the sides parallel, punctures small but deep; abdomen sparsely punctulate medially. Length 5.1 to 6.2 mm; width 2.3 to 2.7 mm. Plant Community Relationships. Four speci- mens were collected in a Grayia-Lycium com- munity between March 29, 1960 and April 17, 1961, and one in the Atriplex community on August 22, 1960. 2(l-l)A-4 Auchmobius subborcus Blaisdell Figure.s III; IV-D; XV-E Reference. Blaisdell, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc, LX, 1934, p. 254, pis. IXII, IVII, and IVIII. Morphological Characteristics. Length 9.1 to 10 mm; width 4.3 to 4.8 mm. Form oval, tvv'ice as long as wide; color black, labrum and palpi ru- fous, also legs and apical antennal segments; sides of epistoma straight and convergent; sur- face of head evenly punctate; mentum about one-half wider than long; maxillary palpi slen- der; antennae attaining the pronotal base. Pro- notum twice as wide as long, widest at the mid- dle; disk convex from side to side, rather evenly punctate, punctures as on the frons. Elytra a third longer than wide, about three Hmes as long as the pronotum. Disk punctation rather dense, fine and not distinct, more evident lat- erally and apically; legs moderate in length and slender; metatarsi more than two-thirds as long as the tibia. Plant Community Relationships. Twelve specimens were collected in Grayia-Lycium communities between March 31, 1960, and Aug- 18 BiiiciiAM YoLNc Univebsity Science Bullct-in Figure III. Auchmobius mbboreux BUiisdell. ust 18, 1961. Eleven of the twelve vi'ere collect- ed in 1960 in March, June, July and August. The othcT one was collected in .August, 1961. Twenty specimens were collected in Larrea- Franseria communities between July 9, 1960, and September 5, 1961, all but four in June, July, August and September, 1961. The otlier four were taken in July, 1960. One was ct>!lected in a Pinyon-JuniptT com- munity on August 11, 1961. Eight were collec-ted in a Mixed community in the months of Julv, August and September, 1961. 3(l-l)A-.5 Chiloinctopon ahnoniw (Horn) Figures V-B; XV-G References. Horn, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc., v. 1S74, p. 31. Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., 1\, 1907, p. 372. Morphological Characterish'cs. Length 5.5 to 7 mm, form oblong; body slight; chestnut brown. Ne;u- coarsely and denscl\- punctate; eyes liu-ge, prominent, and snbcntirc. Last segment of an- tennai" as long as tiie next two together. Pro- thorax broader than long; narrower at apex than base; coarsely and densely punctured especially toward the margins. Elytra wider than the pro- notum; elongate-oval; sulci with finely muricate punctures. Legs m(xlerately long and slender, the tiu-sal claws long and arcuate. Plant Community Relationships. \ total of 17 specimens was ct)llectc>d. They were found most abundanth- in the Larrea-Franseria and .\rtemisia communities with one-fifteenth that amount in Grayia-Lycium and only a few found in the Lycium, Salsola and Mixed c-ommunities. Tlie\- apparently were not present in die .\trip- lex-Kochia or Coleogyne. Seasonal Activity. These beetles occurred from .-Vpril to .August with greatest abundance in Julv and .\ugust. They were first collected in April in the Mi.xed community, .\ctivity in Gravia-Lvcium began in June, whereas in other c-ommunities no activity occurred until July. 4( l-nA-6 Metapuloba bijossiceps Casey Figures IX-E; XIX-L Reference. Casey. Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., IX, 1907, p. 413. Moqjhological Characteristics. Length 6 to 7 mm; elongate; fusifoiTii; polished; subglabrous; deep brown to nearly black. Head coarsely, irregularly, and spiu-sely punctate; supraorbital carina prominent, last four antennal segments dilated and compressed. Pronotnm trapezoidal; truncate apicallv and bisinuate basally; coarsely punctate. Elvtra bisinuate b;isally; coarsely punctate; broadly arcuate at the sides; blunt humeri; slightly widest behind middle; sparse irregular pimctures throughout; scutellum wider than long. Legs rather slender, not long com- pared to the length of the specimen. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 15 specimens was collectixl. The greatest num- ber (Kcurred in the Grayia-Lycium, with about three-fifths in the Coleogyne. A small number was found in the Mixed community. No speci- mens were collected in Larrea-Franseria, Ly- cium, .\triplex-Kochia, Salsola or Pinyon-Juniper. Seasonal Activity. This species was active only in JuK- in the Coleogyne and Mixed com- munities, whereas in the Grayia-Lycium and disturbed Gra\ia-Lycium communities acti%at}' continued through August. The numl>er of spec- imens collected in each of these two months was almost identical. Comments. Only a few M. hifossiceps were collected in the can traps. Most of them were taki'M while fivding on Atiiplcx coiifciiifolia Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, February, 1965 19 (A) ALAEPHUS NEVADENSIS (8 ) ANEPSIUS BRUNNEUS AR AT-KO CO GR-LY LA-FR LY MIXED PI-JU SA & ( c ) ARAEOSCHIZUS SULCICOLLIS n^ (D ) AUCHMOBIUS SUBBOREUS Figure IV. Number of specimens by species (A-D) found in nine plant communities. (In this ixnd succeeding figure references to plant communities, tfie sy-mbols stand for the following: AR = Artemisia, AT-KO = Atriple.\-Kochia, CO = Coleogyne, GR-LY = Grayia-Lycium, LA-FR = Larrea-Franseria, LY = Lycium palli- dum, MIXED = Miscellaneous, PI-JU =Pinyon-Juiuper, SA = SaLsola.) during the middle of the day. A di.stinctive species. 5(l-l)A-7 Triorophus lacvis politus Casey Figures IX-I; XX-F References. LeConte, Ann. Lye. N. York. V, 1851, p. 141. Lacordaire. Gen. Col., V, 1859, p. 48. Horn, Trans. Amer. Pliil. See, XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 259. Casev, Proc. Wasli. Acad. Sci., IX, 1907, p. 435. Morphological Characteristics. Length 7 to 8 mm; elongate in form; color varies from chest- nut brown to nearly black, most commonly very deep reddish-black. Head almost as wide as pronotum; sp;u-sely punctate; two supraorbital folds at each side; antennae stout, with the tenth segment as long as wide. Pronotnm punctate with stiff yellow pubescence. Elytra elongate- oval; strongly inflated; punctures arranged in nine series. Legs long and slender; tarsi spinous beneath. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 867 specimens was collected. The greatest num- ber was found in the Grayia-L\'ciimi, with about four-fifths of this nimiber in Larrea-Franseria. They were about two-fifths as abimdant in Ly- cium, whereas the Atriplex-Kochia and Mi.xed communities supported about one-fifth as many specimens as the disturbed Gra\ia-L\cium. In the Coleogvne community they were one-tentli as abundant, whereas in Salsola they were about one-thirtieth as abundant. Tlie species was not found in Pinyon-Juniper or Artemisia. Seasonal Activity. This species occurred in large numbers from April to October with single specimens collected in December, January and March. They were most abundant in May and declined steadily from then until October. In all communities beetles became active in April e.xcept in Salsola, where they were inactive un- til June. In Atriplex-Kochia they were active imtil June. Activity stopped in the Mixed com- munitv in August, whereas in Lycium and Col- eogyne, activity continued through September. In the other communities they were active through October. 6(l-l)A-8 Edrotcs orhiis Casey Figures VI-A; XVI-D References. LeConte, Ann. Lye. N. York, V, 1951, p. 140. Lacordaire, Gen. Col., V, 1859, p. 31. Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci. IX, 1907, p. 451. LaRivers, Ann. Ent. Soc. Amer., XL, No. 2, June, 1947, pp. 318-327. Morphological Characteristics. Length 7 to 9 mm; form very round; convex; smooth; cov- ered with short, erect, ashy-white hairs; varies from dull, grayish-black to highly polish, deep 20 BrICHAM VoUNC UNIVEaSlTY SCIENXE BULLETIN I AR I AT-KO I CO I GR-LY | LA-FR I LY |miXEO I PI-JU 143? (A) CENTRIOPTERA MURICATA ( B ) CHILOMETOPON ABNORME (C ) CONIONTELLUS ARGUTUS ( D ) CONIBIOSOMA ELONGATUM ( E ) CRANIOTUS BLAISDELU ( F ) CRYPTOGLOSSA VERRUCOSA Figure V. Number of specimens by species (A-F) found in nine plant communities. black. Head much narrower than the pronotum; the front very narrow. Pronotum four times wid- er than long; apical angle verv- acute and ex- tended; well-separated hiberciilate punctures. Elytra at least one and one-half times v\ider than pronotum; the punctures are minute and sparse; each puncture is behind a small abrupt tubercle. Legs fairly long; the hind femora reach the end of the abdomen. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 2,(K)5 specimens was collected. The greatest niunber occurred in Gravia-lA'cium, whereas over half the number occuiTed in Salsola and one-third in Colcogync. In Larrea-Franseria they were one-third as abundant, whereas Lycium supported only one-fifteenth as many. A few specimens were collecttxl in the .\triplex-Kochia and Mixed communities, but none was present in Pinyou-Juniper and Artemisia. Seasonal Activity. This species was active the year roimd in disturbed Crayia-Lycium, with the months of greatest acti\itv being Feb- ruary, March, April and May. Months of least activity were June, July, November and Dec- ember. Activity increased during the months of Januarv, .'Vugust, SeptemlK'r and October. In the ri-st of the plant communities this species was acti\e verv little or not at all tluring Nhn-. June and Julv. The greatest {X'riod of activity in Larrea-Franseria and Lycium was during January and Febniarv, where;is in the .^triplex- Kochia, Salsola and (loleogN ne communities the period of greatest ac-ti\'it)' was in March. In these latter three communities there was little or no activity during November and December. 7(l-l).\-9 Araeoschiziis sulcicollis Horn Figures IV-C; XV-D References. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc., XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 274; Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, SVII, 1890, p. 341. Casev, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., IX, 1907. p. 488. Morphological Characteristics. Length uni- formly 4 mm; body fonn slender; elytra flat- tencxl; dark rcnldish-brown with light vellowish scales. Head huge; much elongated; converging from antennal prominences to basal angle; eves divided, elongate and narrow above, small round beneath; anteimae long; ver\' stout and compressed; the eleventh segment ver)' small and almost hidden in the apex of the tenth; cov- ered with \ellowish scales. Pronotum \er\' small; widest anteriorK"; sulcate along the middle from ajx'x to base; sides fringed with dose-set. \ellow scales; the .sulci deeplv punctate. Legs fairlv short and stout with no spines. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 2,fi64 specimens was collected. Tlu'V were found in greatest iiumlxT in the Coleogsne and were onl\' slightK' less abundant in the Larrea-Fnm- seria and Grayia-Lvcium coinnnmities. They were about three-fifths as abmidant in Lycium as in Coleog\'ne. A few specimens were cx)llected Biological Series, Vol. 6. No. 1. Febru.\ry, 1965 21 I AR I AT-KO I CO I GR-LY I LA-FR | LY | MIXED I PI-JU I SA I (A) EDROTES ORBUS ( B ) ELEODES ARMATA Figure VI. Number of specimens by species (A-B) found in nine plant communities. in Atriplex-Kochia and Salsola, wliereas none was found in the Pinyon-Juniper or Artemisia. Seasonal Activity. This species occurred all the year round, being most abundant in Septem- ber and April. The numbers declined in May, June and July, then increased in abundance tlirough August to the population peak in Sep- tember. Activity declined from October to Feb- ruary. In the disturbed Grayia-Lycium, Grayia- Lycium, and Mixed communities activity was evident every month of the year. In Coleogyne there was activity each month except December and February. Beetles were not active in the Larrea-Franseria community in January and February or in Lyciuin from December through March. In Salsola this species was taken in small numbers in May, June, September, October and November, whereas in Atriplex-Kochia it was collected only in July. It was not present in the Pinyon-Juniper. 8(1-1)A-I0 Anepsiiis hrunneus Casey Figures IV-B; XV-B Reference. Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., IX, 1907, p. 506. Morphological Characteristics. Length 4 to 4.5 mm; elongate; convex; reddish brown; shin- ing. Head large; trapezoidal; stronglv and closely aspcrato-punctate; eyes completely divided with the upper lobe large and elongate; antennae long and slender. Pronotum wider than long; the an- terior angles acute and prominent; finely punc- tate. Ehtra slightly wider than the prothorax; humeri obtuse and distinct; very finely punc- tate in series. Legs fairly short and slender. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 39 specimens was collected. They were most abundant in disturbed Grayia-Lvcium, and about one-sevendi as abundant in Lycium and Grayia- Lycium. A few specimens were taken in the Salsola, Coleogyne and Mixed communities. They were not found in Larrea-Franseria, Atrip- lex-Kochia or Pinyon-Juniper. Seasonal Activity. This species was active from March through November, and most abun- dant in May. Beetles were about one-fourth as abundant during March and June as in May, with very few specimens collected in April and July through November. In disttnbed Grayia- Lycium they \vere collected from March through June, and September through Noven)ber. In the Lycium community they occurred in July and August, whereas in Grayia-Lycium they were active in May and June. In Coleogyne there was activity during April, during May in Mixed, and July in Salsola. (A ) ELEOOES BRUNNIPES BREVISETOSA lillK.MA.M VoL'Nf: l.'M\fc;H.sll V SCIENCE BULLETIN AR f AT-KO I CO I GR-LY I LA-FR I LY | MIXED | PI- J U | SA | (B) ELEOOeS CARBONARIA IMMUNIS JioLociCAL Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, Fedhu.^ry, 1965 23 Comments. Although this genus was estab- lished by LeConte (1851), Casey (1892, 1907) named most of the species presently therein. Comparison of our series was made with speci- mens of A. brunneus Casey. This genus is in need of revision. 9(1-1)A-11 Crt/pfoglossa vcnttcosa LeConte Figures V-F; XVI-C References. LeConte, Ann. Iac. N. York, V, 1851, p. 129. Lacordier, Gen. Col., 1859, p. 42. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Sot., XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 280. Triplehorn, Coleopterist's Bull., Vol. 18, No. 2, pp. 43-52, 1964. Morphological Characteristics. Length 17 to 21 mm; form elongate-oval; veiy heavv appear- ance, light bluish-gray to deep black. Head, an- terior front coarselv punctate; coalescent; the verte.v granulate; eyes emarginate; antennae short and flattened with the eleventh segment truncate and much smaller than the tenth. Pro- notum vei"v rough and tuberculate; a medial su- ture extends from the ape.x to the base; apical angle acute and extended. Elytra evenly arcu- ate from base to apex: nine rows of large, evenly- spaced tubercles traverse the full length; apex abruptly rounded. Legs long and stout; the tarsi co\ered with reddish-orange spines. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 116 specimens was collected. The greatest num- ber occurred in the Lycium community, with about one-fourth the number in Mixed, over one-tenth in Artemisia, and slightly fewer than one-tenth in Larrea-Franseria. They were not obser\'ed in Atriplex-Kochia, Gravia-Lvcium, Salsola, Coleogvne, or Pinyon-Juniper. Seasonal Activity. This species occurred from April to September, but was most abundant in August. One specimen was collected in Novem- ber. Abundance was increased from May to June, declined slightly in July and then reached a peak in August. There was a large decline in September. In the Lycium and Mixed commun- ities beetles were active from May to September, whereas in Larrea-Franseria activity was evi- dent onh' during August and September. 9(1-1)3-12 Centrioptera muricata LeConte Figures V-A; .W-F References. LeConte, Ann. Lye. N. York, V, 1951, p. 142. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 279. GR-LY LA-FR MIXED PI-JU (A) EUPSOPHULUS CASTANEUS ( B ) EUSATTUS DUBIUS ( C ) EUSCHIDES LUCTATUS ( D ) HELOPS ATTENUATUS ( E 1 METOPOLOBA BIFOSSICEPS z u ( F ) N0TI8IUS SUBSTRIATUS -M^ ( G ) PELECYPHORUS PANTEX I H )- STERIPHANUS LUBRICANS 31 f^ ( I ), TRIOROPHUS LAEVIS POLITUS ( J ) TROGLODERUS COSTATUS NEVADUS 135 24 9 I 34 ^.Uiik;iiam Vounc L'NivtubiTY Science Bl-lletin DCC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL I'imirc \. N'limlKT of specimens sc;i.son;illy in Mixed, Salsola, and Coleog)ne communitiis. Morphological Characteristics. Lt'iigtli 11 to 23 mill; form t'loni^atc; l)ic)a(ll\' rounded jxjster- iorlv; \ar\ing from dull gra\' to shining black. Head dccph and sparsely punctate; antennae moderate and stout, last segment oval and only siiglith- smaller than the tenth segment. Pro- notum glabrous and shining; completely mar- gined; deeply punctate laterally; punctures be- coming verv fine medially. Elvtra elongate be- coming broadly arcuate jiosteriorly; spiculae lo- cated along the lateral edges; becoming longer toward the apex. Legs moderately long and stout. Plant Community Relationships. ,\ total of l,().5tt spccinu'ns was collected. The greatest number occurred in the I.arrea-Franseria com- munity, with about two-fifths the number in L\cium and one-fourth in C;ra\ia-Lyciuin. The Coleogyne and Mixed communities supported about one-fourteenth as many In-etles as Larrea- Franseria, whereas a few specimens were col- lected in .\triplex-Kochia anil Salsola. The\- were not found in the I'in\ ou-|uui|ier or .\rtemisia communities. DEC JAN FEB DEC JAN FEB MAR APR AUG SEP OCT Figure .\1. Ninnbir of speiimens season,ilI\ in I.,iir(M- KraiiNeria, l.vciuin, and .Mripiex-koilna com- mnnities. Figure .XII. Number of .specimens sea.sonalIy in disturbed Grayia-Lycium and Grayia-Lycium communities. Seasonal Activity. This species was active froin .April through September, and was most abundant in June. From .April to June, abun- dance of beetles increased, and from June to September, decreased. Beetles began actixits' in .April in the Larrea-Franseria, Lycium, disturbed Grayia-Lycium, Salsola and Mi.vcd communi- ties. In all these e.xcept the Salsola community, activity continued until September. In Salsola the only other month in \\hich tiiey were active was June. In the Coleog)ne community they were active from .May to .August, and in Atrip- lex-K(K'hia onh' in June. 1(1-2)A-I.3 Pelccijphonis paiilcx Casey Figures IX-G; XIII; .\.\-B References. Casey, Memoirs on the Coleop- tera, III, 1912, p. 116. Tanner and Packham, Great Basin Nat., XXII, No. 4, 1962, p. 110. Morphological Characteristics. Length 16 to 22 mm; form very ventricose; the anterior small- er than the posterior; deep black. Head not denseh- separatelv' punctate; front somewhat di- hited; last segment of antennae ver\' small and partially surrounded by the tenth segment. Pro- notum moderatcK' convex; strongly granulate medialK'; edges slighth* explanatc with the sides uiuni'iih' scalloped. Kl\tr;i greatly inflated; sur- liice gr;mulate; the outer costa strong, the in- iK"r \er\ line to subobsolete. Legs fairh long Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, Febru.vry, 1965 Figure XIII. Pelecyphortis pantex Casey. and stout; the anterior tibia slightly dilated at the apex. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 228 specimens was collected. The greatest num- ber occurred in the Atriple.x-Kochia community, with slightly over one-fifth the number in Artem- isia, Grayia-Lycium and under one-fifth in Ly- cium. In Larrea-Franseria they were about one- ninth as abundant as in Atriplex-Kochia, where- as their abundance in the Salsola, Colegyne and Mixed communities was approximately one- twentieth. They were not found in Pinyon-Jun- iper. Seasonal Activity. On March 31 in the dis- turbed Grayia-Lycium seven P. pantex were col- lected. No further activity was recorded until July. Except for this collection they occurred seasonally from July to October, being most abundant in August. Very few were collected in July, December and November, whereas they were slightly over one-third as abundant in Sep- tember as in August. In the disturbed Grayia- Lycium they were active in March, July, August and September. Activity in Salsola occurred during July and August, whereas in Coleogyne they were active only in August. In the Atriplex- Kochia community they were active in August, September and November. In otlier communi- ties where this species occurred they were ac- tive only in August and September. 1(1-2)B-14 Pelecyphorus semilaevis (Horn) Figures XIV; XX-C References. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 284. Casev, Memoirs in the Coleo., Ill, 1912, p. 182. fanner and Packham, Great Basin Nat., XXII, No. 4, 1962, p. 110. Morphological Characteristics. Length 21 to 24 mm; fonn elongate-oval; nairowing from pos- terior to anterior, black. Head coarsely and sparsely punctate; front not dilated or only slightly so; eyes large and emaiginate; third segment of antennae long; ele\enth only slightly smaller than tenth. Pronotum coarselv, sparselv, and unevenly punctate; the sides are narrowly reflexed, moderately rounded and not scalloped. Elytra elongate-oval with distinct marginal costa; tliree striiight, nearly parallel costa; the surface sliining bet\veen the suture and first costa; the remainder opaque. Legs moderately long and stout; anterior tibia expanded apically into a spine. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 31 specimens was collected. The greatest num- ber occurred in the Atriplex-Kochia and the Grayia-Lycium communities and only two-fiftlis in disturbed Grayia-Lycium. Lanea-Franseria Figure XIV. Pelecyphorus semilaevis (Horn). and Lvciiim siipportt'd about one-fourtli the population of tho Atriplex-Kochia, wliertnts the CJoli-oj^siu' and Mixed communities sup[X)rted onlv about one-eighth. They were not found in Salsola, I'iinon-Juniper or Artemisia. Seasonal Activity. P- semilacvis were col- lected only from Julv tiirough September. Thcv were most abimdant in August. In all communi- ties in which the\' were foimd they were active during this month. In Lvcium and disturbed Cravia-Lvcium thev were acti\e in July. Activity in all communities ceased in September. 1(1-2)C-15 EuschUles luctutus (Horn) Figures IX-C; XIX-J References. Horn, Trans, of the Amer. Phil. Soc., XIV, 1870, p. 286. Casey, Memoirs on the Col., HI, 1912, p. 1.S5. Morphological C^haracteristics. Length 12.5 to 17.5 mm; elongate oval; black. Head ver\' sparsely punctate; eyes large and slightly pro- truding; second .segment of antennae ver)' short. Pronotum widelv and acutely margined; spars- ely punctate medially, more coarseh' and dense- ly punctate at margins. Elvtra elongate-oval; without marginal costa or ridge; surface wetikly granulate. Legs moderate and slender. BniciiA.M VouNc University Science Bulletin Plant Community Relationships. A total of 51 specimens was c-ollected. The greatest num- ber occurred in Larrea-Franseria, with about one-seventh the number in the Coleogyne and Mixed communities. A few specimens were found in Cravia-Lvcium, .^tripIex-Kochia and Lycium, whereas none was found in Salsola, Pinyon- Juniper or .Artemisia. Seasonal Activity. This species was active from September to April. Beetles were most abundant during October, N'o\ember, Decem- ber and February. Activity was noted in disturb- eeci- mens were collected from the Lycium commun- ity in January and then from April to November. This species became active in June in Mixed, Salsola and Lturea-Franseria, and November in Mixed. Grayia-Lycium had activity from July through September, the Atriplex-Kochia in Aug- ust and September, whereas in Coleogyne com- munities there was activity only in November. 32 BldfiHAM YoLNC U.S'lVEKSI'n' SCIEN'CE BULLETIN l(l-3)C-2.3 Eleoilvs hispilahris scidptilis BlaisdHi Figures VIII-A; MX-B References. Bliiisdell, Bull. 6.3, U.S. Nat. Mtis., Mono., 19(W. p. 220. TaniuT, (iri-at Basin Nat., XXI, No. 3, 1961, p. 72. Morphological Characteristics. lA-ngth 18 to 37 mm; elongate o\ate; somewhat sliiiiing; some- what c-onN'e.\ and snleate; color black. Head wider than long; antennae long, reaching to base of pronotum; outer four segments compressed and dilated. Pronotum finely, sparsely, and even- ly punctate; apical angles acute and e\erted; basal angles obtuse. Elvtra sulcata; less than twice as long as wide; sulci have a series of evenly, closely placed, small separate punctures; costa convex, sm(K)th, and sliining, each witii a single irregular series of distantly placed punc- tures, l^egs slender, posterior femora reaching fifth segment of abdomen. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 1,385 specimens was collected. The greatest numbers occurred in the Gravia-Lycium com- munity, with three-eights of this nimiber in Salsola. In Coleogyne and .\rtemisia they were onh' one-fiftieth as abundant as in disturbed Cravia-Lycium. A few specimens were taken from Larrea-Franseria, Atriple.x-Kochia and Mi.xed communities. None was found in the Pin- von-Juniper or Lycium. Seasonal Activity. This species was active from .March to December, with the peak of abundance in March, April and .May. Tlie num- bers collected dropped off rapidly in June and reniained low from July to October. In Novem- ber only four specimens were c-ollcc-ted and in December only one. In disturbed Crayia-L\'cium, C;rayia-L\ciinTi, Salsola, Coleog e and Larrea- Franseria communities activity began in March. In Salsola activity was recorded until Dec-em- ber whereas the disturbed Gravia-Lycium had activity until November and Gravia-L\cium only until Ma\'. .Activity in Goleog\'ne stop[X'd in April for four months then commenced again in September and October. In Larrea-Franseria there was no activitv from the end of March imtil August, when slight activity was recorded. In -Atriplex-Kochia community this species was found active during .^pril and .\ugust, whereas Mi.xed communities had actixitv only in .August and September. l(l-3)C-24 Eleodes longipilosa Horn Figures VIIl-E; XIX-F References. Horn, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc., XVllI, 1891, p. 42. Blaisdell, Bull. 63, U. S. Nat. Mus., Mono., 1909, pp. 212, 2.30. Tanner, Great Basin Nat., .XXl, No. 3, 1961, p. 72. Morphological C^haracteristics. Length 25 to 28 mm; elongate-oval; moderately shining; with a tail-like extension; surface sparsely covered JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP OCT NOV DEC (A) NOTIBIUS SUBSTRIATUS ( e ) ( B 1 PELECYPHORUS PANTEX 153 o t C I PELECYPHORUS SEMILAEVIS ( 1 STERIPHANUS LUBRICANS ( E I TRICHIASIDA ACERBA _3 12 9 TRIOROPHUS LAEVIS POLITUS (G) TROGLDDERUS COSTATUS NEVAOUS Figure X.\. Numlu'r of specimens sea.son;illy collected iu ;ill the l)i()tie eoinmunifies Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, February, 1965 33 with long black hairs. Head irregularly punc- tate; hairs are long and flying; antennae mod- erately long and thick; slightly dilated on the last four segments; coyered yvith rather long, stiff hairs. Pronotum widest slightly in advance of the middle; irregularly and sparsely punc- tate; long flowing hairs on tlie lateral edges. Elytra attenuated posteriorly in a tail-like ex- tension; vaguely sulcate; punctures slightly niur- icate near suture, becoming strongh' muricate laterally; both long flying luurs and short stout hairs are present. Legs moderately long and thick with long fl}'ing hairs. Plant Community Relationships. A total of eight specimens was collected in the Grayia- Lycium, Coleogyne, Salsola, and Mixed com- munities. Seasonal Activity. The three collections of this species were made in September, October and November. Tlie September collection was in Mixed, Salsola and Coleog\'ne, October in Coleogyne, and November in Grayia-Lycium. Comments. One of the eight specimens was collected in a can trap. Two others were taken by hand. Both were collected at dusk, one feed- ing on Atiiplcx confertifolia and the other emerg- ing from a rodent bunow. l(l-3)C-25 Eleodes armata LeConte Figures VI-B; XVIII-A References. LeConte, Ann. Lye. N. York, V, 185L p. 134; Arcan. Nat., 1859, p. 125; Proc. Acad. Phil., 18.58, p. 181. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, XIV, New Series, 1870, pp. 303, 310. Blaisdell, Bui. 63, U. S. Nat. Mus., Mono., 1909, p. 2,59. Tanner, Great Basin Nat., XXI, No 3, 1961, p. 72, Morphological Characteristics. Length vari- able 24 to 33 mm; elongate; shining. Head mod- erately convex; more or less impressed laterally; frefjuently frons broadly and transversely im- pressed with the vertex sh'ongly convex; an- tennae does not reach the base of the pronotiim. Pronotum widest in advance of middle; sparsely and evenly punctulate; apical angles finely punctate; punctures in unimpressed series. Legs moderately long; hind femur reaching the fifth abdominal segment; femora with strong teeth. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 2,878 specimens was collected. The greatest numbers occurred in the Larrea-Franseria com- munity, with about seven-tenths of this number in Grayia-Lycium and four-sevenths in Lycium. In Coleogv'ne they were about one-half as abun- dant, and one-third as abundant in Atriple.x- Kochia and Mixed communities. They were only one-tenth as abundant in Salsola, and were not found in Pi nvon- Juniper or Artemisia. Seasonal Activity. These beetles were acti\'e all \ciu- long. They were far more abundant in September than at any other time. During Nov- ember, December, January and February' small numbers were collected. In March an increase occurred and a low peak was reached in .\pril and May. In June and July the numbers collect- ed decreased again. The amount increased ab- ruptly in August and continued to increase to the high peak in September; in October collec- tions decreased more abruptly. In the disturbed Grayia-Lycium this species was acti\e in Janu- ary. In Febnuu-y they were not collected, but were from March to November. In S;dsola their activity' started in February and continued through October. In Larrea-Franseria, L)cium and Mixed communities this species' activity started in M;irch and ended in November, ex- cept in Lycium where activity' continued into December. In Atripiex-Kochia, Grayia-Lycium and Coleogyne communities they yvere active in April and continued through October, except for Coleogyne in yvhich they yvere active in November. l{l-3)C-26 Eleodes iirmutii piimihi Blaisdell Reference. Blaisdell, Trans. Am. Ento. Soc, LIX, 1933, pp. 191-210. Morphological Characteristics. Length 18.0 to 20.0 nmi; yvidth 6.0 to 8.1 mm. Color black, punctation fine and very sparse, e.xccpt on head, yvhere the punctures are large, rather closely set, and feebly muricate. Head as long as wide. Epistoma truncate, frons anterially punctate. Labrum slightly con- vex, yvith an emargination at the apex. Antennae slender, in length attaining the pronotal base, third segment four times as long as the second. Pronotum wider than long, apex truncate and eniiuginate betsveen the prominent apical angles; base slightly arcuate, angles obtuse; disk convex. Elytra subcvlindrical convex; base about ecjual to that of the pronotum; humeral angles obtuse; disk rounded from side to side; puncta- tion fine, close in strial series, interval space yvith irregular sparse punctines. Legs slender, moder- ate in length. Femoral teeth small and acute. Plant Community Relationships. A total of thirty specimens was collected in the Grayia- Lycium and Lycium communities. Bi(i(;iiAM VoLNt; UNivEHsi-n- Science Bulletin Seasonal Activity. Tliese beetles were active froi7i Jiilv until October. They were far more ahimtlant in Aiii^iist and September. A few spec- imens were taken in November. They were as- sociated with arnwta. Comments. Ptiinihi may be rather readily separated troiii (irmiita by their smaller size, ahoMt one-liaH the si/e of nrmala, the shape of the pr<)not\im; the \er\' small pimetnres on the prothorax and elytra; and the smaller legs and femoral teeth, which are acute. l(l-3)C-27 Eleodcs mecimens was collected. The largest niunbers occurred in the ColeogV'ne c-omunmity, with three-fifths of the number in the Mixed and two-fifths in Salsola. They were not found in Larrea-Franseria, Lycium, Atriple.x-Kochia, Pin- yon-Juniper or .\rtemisia. Seasonal Activity. They were active during September, October and November, with great- est abundance being in September. They were active only in September in the Salsola and Mix(>d and were active in September ;md Octo- ber in Coleogvne. In disturbed Grayia-Lycium they were active only in November. l(l-3)C-30 Eleodes tcnebwsa Horn Figure \III-F References. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, XIV, New Series, 1870, pp. 304, 316. Blaisdell, BiOLCXiiCAL Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, Februahy, 1965 Bull. 63, U. S. Nat. Mus., Mono., 1909, pp. 311, 326. Tanner, Great Basin Nat., XXI, No. 3, p. 73. Morphological Characteristics. Length 13 to 16.5 mm; oblong-oval; el)ixal sculpturing con- sisting of very small shining tubercles arising from a very opaque base. Head densely punc- tate laterally and on epistoma; base tiibercu- late; antennae moderate in length and sUghtly robust. Pronotum densely punctate in the center and granulate at the sides. Elytra slightly wider than pronotum, sides evenly and not strongly arcuate; densely and irregularly covered with small, rounded shining tubercles. Legs moderate, anterior tarsi dissimilar in the se.ves, middle tarsi are similar. Plant Community Relationship. A total of 16 specimens was collected. The only commun- ity in which they were found was the Pinyon- Juniper. Seasonal Activity. Members of this species were active during the month of April, and then no further activity was recorded until JuK- and August. They were equally abundant during the last t\vo months. No further activitv was found after August. 1(1-3)C-31 Eleodes hrunnipes hieuisetosa Blaisdell Figure VII-A References. Blaisdell, Ent. News, XXIX, 1918, p. 162. Tanner, Great Basin Nat., Vol. XXI, No. 3, p. 75. Morphological Characteristics. Length 12 to 13 mm; oblong-ovate; very denseh' and finely sculptured. Head tsvo-thirds as wide as the pronotum, coarsely and densely pimctate; an- tenna longer than the head and pronotum. Pro- notum one-fourth wider than long; very deeply, coarsely, and confluently punctate; feebly ar- cuate to ape.x and broadly sinuate to base. Elytra nearly a third wider than tbe base of the pronotum; abruptly and obtusely rounded behind when viewed vertically; surface densely asperate, with the summits of the granules shin- ing, each bearing a short seta. Legs moderate in length. Plant Community Relationship. A total of 10 specimens was collected. They were found only in the Pinyon-Juniper community. Seasonal Activity. This species was active only in July and August, and was equally abun- dant during these months. Comments. When Blaisdell (1918) first des- cribed E. biunnipes, he called it a variety of Eleodes pimelioides Mannerheim. Tanner ( 1961 ) raised E. bninnipes to a specific level and placed brevisetosa Blaisdell as a subspecies of that species. l(l-3)C-32 Eleodes extricnta frigida LaRivers Figures Vll-C; XVIII-E Reference. LaRivers, Journ. Ent. and Zoo., Vol. 35, No. 4, 1943, pp. 54-58. Morphological Characteristics. Length 13 to 21 mm; elongate; oblong-o\ate to ovate; spars- ely sculptured. Head deeply punctate anteriorly, becoming granulate posteriorly; antennae mod- erately long and stout, reaching to the base of the pronotum. Pronotum finely and unevenly pimctate. Elytra moderately conve.x, with the sides broadly rounded; densely sculptured \\-itli small muricate granules, shiny at their summit. Legs moderately long and slender, anterior fe- mora witli acute .spines. Plant Community Relationship. A total of 30 specimens was collected. This species was found only in the Pinyon-Juniper community. Seasonal Activity. A single specimen was taken in April. No others were found until Jidy and August when the population appeared to be ec(ual during these two months. Tliere was no activity observed after August. l(l-4).\-33 Sphaeriontls dilatata (LeConte) Reference. Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., X, 1908, pp. 56, 59. Morphological Characteristics. Length 10 to 11 mm; elongate-oval gradually pointed behind; deep black in color. Head small; front greatly dilated and deeply emarginate at the apex; (an- tennae missing on all the specimens collected). Pronotum very sparsely and finely punctate; base bisinuate; basal angles acute and reticu- late. Elytra slightly longer than wide; very feebly subcostulate with weak muricate punctiu-es in sulca. Legs short and stout. Plans Community Relationship. A total of four specimens was collected. Tliey were found only in Lvcium. Seasonal Activity. VIembers of this species were found during Febmary, April and June. They were most abundant in June. Comments. This genus was established by LeConte (1866). Casey (1908) named most of the present species. After comparing our speci- mens with a previously identified D. knausi 36 Casey the present designation was given. Tliis genus is in need of revision. 1(1-4)8-34 Eusattus dubius LeConte Figure IX-B References. LeConte, Ann. Lvc. N. H. N. Y., V, 1851, pp. 12.5, 216. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc., XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 294; Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc-., X, 1882, p. .305; Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci. (2), IV, 1894, p. 42.3. Casev, Proc. W;Lsh. Acad. Sci., X, 1908, pp. .56, 66. Blaisdell, Proc. Cal. Acad. Sci., XXIV, 1943, p. 192. Morphological Characteristics. Length 6 to 10 mm; glabrous with a few small hairs laterally. Head sparsely piinc-tate, densely so near the trans\'erse suture; impunctate centr;iUy; front widely dilated; antennae slender; last four seg- ments dilated; the joints loose; apical segment is subcylindrical. Pronotiim very minutely punc- tate; the sides narrowly explanate; angles both apicully and basally slightly acute; scutellum wholly obsolete. Elytra as wide as pronotum or only slightly wider; surface faintly wrinkled; punctiires fine but distinct; ape.x obtuse. Pro- stemiun has only a few short hairs; process ob- tusely rounded. Legs short and stout; anterior tibia tapering into a moderate-sized apical pro- cess. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 43 specimens was collected. The greatest num- ber occurred in the disturbed Grayia-Lycium and Larrea-Franseria and a little over one- tenth in Vli.xed. These were the only communi- ties in wliich they were found. Seasonal Activity. The species was active from Dec-ember througli June and small num- bers were collected in October. The greatest numbers were c()lkx.ted in March. Only a few were collected from December through Febru- ary. After the peak in March, the numbers collec-ted dropped off during .\pril and May and then increased again in June. From Larrea- Franseria spe<;imens were collected during Oct- ober, Janiuu^', FebniiUA', .\pri! and June. Activ- ity in disturbc-d Crayia-Lycium was more in- tense and for a shorter {x-riod. Ih-re there was activity- from March through June. From the Mixed community single specimens were taken in Miu-ch, October and December. 1( 1-4)8-35 Euxaitus agiuitus Casey Reference. Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., X, 1908, p. 76. Morphological Characteristics. Length 9 to 12 mm; broadK rounded; \ery convex; rather BntcHAM YouNC Univehsitv Science Bulletin sliiiiing; deep black. Head finely wrinkled both ;dK)vc and below the transverse sutiu-e; finely granulate iX)steriorly; last segment of antennae obtriangular. Pronotum slightly explanate, punc- tines become less distinct dorsally; scutellum completely obsolete. Elytra as wide as the pro- thorax, piirallel, sides straight, surface feebly ru- gose with sparser muricate punctures; prostem- um sparsely punctate, under-surface quite hairy. Legs stout but moderately long; the anterior tibia extended into a long, blunt apical process. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 206 specimens was collec-ted. Tliey were most abundant in Grayia-Lycium. Tliey were sUghtly over two-fifths as abundant in Salsola, whereas a few specimens were tiiken from Mixed and Coleog\-ne communities. None was found in Artemisia. Seasonal Activity. This s[)ecies was active from MiU-ch through October, with greatest abundance in August. Only a few specimens were taken in March, .^pril. May, June and October. Activity increased abruptly during July and di- minished just as abruptly during September. .\c-tivity of this species in disturbed Grayia- Ly- cium began in NIarch and continued through October. In Salsola it did not become active until July and continued through October. It was active only in July and September in Mixed. l(l-4)C-36 Coniontis ncvadensis carsonica Casey Reference. Casey, Proc. Wash. .\cad. Sci., X, 19aS, p. 85. Moqihological Characteristics. Length 11 to 13 mm; elongate; con\ex; \eT\- dark reddish- brown to black. Head finely but strongly punc- tate; front very slightly dilatt>d; eyes emargin- ate. Pronotum almost one-half as wide as long; sides broadl\- iu-cuate; finel)' punctate, witli ex- tremeh' fine, short, light hair in each; slightly alutacix>us along suture. Legs moderately short and stoc-ky; tibiae and tarsi with hea\y spines; femora punctate. Plant Communitv Relationships. A total of 31 specimens was collected. The greatest num- bers (K-curred in the disturbed Grayia-Lycium, with two-thirds of this nimiber in Grayia-Lyciimi and Mixed comiuimities. These were the only communities in which they were found. Seasonal .\ctivity. Members of this s}>ecies occurred from March through September. They were most abundant during July, August luid September. Tliey were shghtly more abundant Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, Febru.\ry, 1965 37 during March and April than they were in May and June. In disturbeil Grayia-Lycium they were active from March through August. In Grayia- Lycium their activity ^^as noted onh' in April, July and August, whereas in Mixed they were active from May through August. I(l-4)D-37 ConionteUus argutus Casey Figures V-C; XV-H Reference. Casey, Proc. Wash. Acad. Sci., X, 1908, p. 145. Morphological Characteristics. The single specimen studied was 7.5 mm in length. Oblong; rather elongate; glabrous, or appearing to be so; reddish brown to black; head very small; equal in length and width; front broadly dilated; eyes di\"ided; antennae short and rather stout. Pro- notum broadly arcuate in front; the ape.x nar- rower than the base; surface finely punctate. Elytra finely punctate, but very distinct; appear- ing to be slightly alutaceous. Legs short; yer\' stout with heavy spines. Plant Community Relationship. A total of 2 specimens was collected. They were colle-cted in the Mixed community in August. Seasonal Activity. The only collection made of this spec-ies was in August. l(l-5)A-38 Blapstinus vanchjkci Blaisdell Reference. Blaisdell, Trans. Am. Ent. Soc., LXVIII, 1942, p. 136. Morphological Characteristics. Length 5 to 6 mm; oblong; moderately convex; black; pub- escent. Head widest at the middle; densely and coarsely punctate; stiff black hairs; eyes divided, the upper jx>rtion large and round; antennae robust and short; clothed with stiff black hairs. Pronotum twice as wide as long; deeply and coarsely punctate; black hairs aris- ing in each puncture; bisinuate basally. Elytra elongate; sides parallel; broadly rounded pos- teriorly; broad striae at narrow intervals; stiff, black, decurved pubescence arising from the striae. Legs fairly stout with short spines on tibia; fourth segment of anterior tarsi very short and smaller than third; the fifth segment is long. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 35 specimens was collected. They were most abundant in Grayia-Lycium. A few specimens were found in Vlixed. They were not found in any of the other communities. Seasonal Activity. This species was active from March to October. There were two peaks of activity 38 Bhigham Vounc Unmvehsit\- Science Bulletin stout hairs; surfat-e coiirscly, deeply and strongly punctate; laterally asperate. Elytra ;is wide ;is the pronotuin; broadly roundetl behind; both feebly impressed striae and inter\als finely punctate. Legs very stout; anterior tibia dilated; middle and hind tibia with strong short spines. Plant Clommurutv Relationships. A total of 316 specimens wiis collected. The greatest num- bers occurred in the Grayia-Lycium c-ommunit\', with about two-thirds of this number in Salsola. A few spec-imens were found in Atriple.x-Kochia, Mixed, Lycium and Larrea Franseria communi- ties. They were not found in Coleogyne or Pin- yon-Juniper. Seasonal Activity. Members of this species occurred from Nhirch through November. They were most abundant in May. There was a slight increase in the numbers collected during April, which resulted in tlie population boom in May. In June the numbers declined. The\' steadily decTCiisecl in July and August and then increased sUghtly in September. Only a few specimens were collected in October and November. Acti- vity of this species started in March in disturbed Grayia-Lycium, Grayia-Lycium, and Mixed com- munities. It continued into November in dis- turbed Grayia-Lycium, died out in October in Grayia-Lycium, whereas in Mixed they had further activity only in May, June, July and September. In Salsola they were active in July and August, whereas in Larrea-Franseria and Atriplex-Kochia they were active only in July. I(1-5)C-41 Conibiosauw elungatum (Horn) Figures V-D; XVI-A References. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 351. Casey, Ann. N .Y. Acad., V, 1890, p. 476. Moq>hoIogical Characteristics. Length con- stant ai'ound 4 mm; elongate parallel; convex; shining; head and pronotuin retldish-brown, ely- tra black. Head wider than long; finely, rather sparsely punctate; eyes divided; superior por- tion small and linear; antennae very robust; com- pact; shorter than head and pronotum; last three segments moderately dilated. Pronotum wider than heiid; finely, sparsely punctate tow;u-ds the middle, denser and more ct>arse laterally. Elytra equal in width to the pronotum; sides nearly straight; even rows of fine punctures; the striae very feebly impresscxl; the inter\'als evenly punc- tate with esich bearing a stiff seta. Legs moder- ate, tibiae not dilatetl. Plant Community Relationships. \ total of W) sptxiinens was c-ollected. Tlie greatest num- bers ocfurred in Lycium, with one-half this number in Larrea-Franseria and about one- third in Grayia-Lycium. In Coleogyne tliis spe- cies was one-fifth as abimdiuit as in Lycium. They were one-fifth as abundant in Atriplex- Kochia and one-sixth as abundant in .Mixed, where;is there were only a few specimens col- lected in Salsola. They were not found in Pin- yon-Juniper or Artemisia. Seasonal Activity. Beetles of this species were acti\e from April through October. They were most abundant in Ma\' and July. In June, August and September slightly more than one- half as man\' specimens were collected as in May and July. Only a few specimens were taken in October. They became active in April in Ly- cium, disturbed Gravia-Lycium, Coleogyne and Mixed communities. They remained active until September in Lycium; August in distm-bed Grayia-Lycium; July and .\ugust in Coleogyne; and May, July and September in Mixed. They were active in Larrea-Franseria during May, July and September, whereas in Grayia-Lycium they were active from May through July and in Atriplex-Kochia c-ommunity in June and July. Tlie collection in Salsola was made in Oc-tober. 1 ( 1-6 )A-42 Anemia calijornica Horn Figure XV-C Reference. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc., XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 378. Morphological Characteristics. Length 3.5 to 4 mm; short; oval; robust; deep reddish- brown; winged. Heiid broad; densely and rather coiir.sely punctate; apex deeply emarginate; sides broadly dilated; eyes deeply em;irginate; sujier- ior portion small; antennae short; robust; thicker at tip; last segniCTit longer than tenth and roundetl at tip. Pronotum ne;u-ly three times as broad as long; convex; densely and coarsely punctate; fringed with long yellowish luiirs. Ely- tra broadh' o\al, sc;u-c-el\- longer than wide; sides fringixl with long yellowish h;iirs; surface deeply and cixirsely punctate. Legs short; robust; tibiae all dilated, covered with long yellowish hairs. Plant Community Relationship. A total of 5 specimens was collected. They were found in the Lycium communit)'. Seasonal Activity. This sjjecies was collected in May and June. Comments. Beetles of this species are noc- turnal fliers. Thev were collected by their at- traction to ultra-violet light. Not enough collec- tions were made with the ultra-violet light to Biological Series, Vol. 6. No. 1, February, 1965 39 determine this s{>ecies' seasonal range of activit)' or community restrictions. Their body form re- sembles the Scarabaeidae. l(l-7)A-43 Coelocnemis punctata LeConte References. LeConte, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., VII, 1854, p. 22.5. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 337. Casey, Memoirs on the Coleoptera, XI, 1924, p. 319. Morphological Characteristics. Length of specimen 20 mm; elongate; conve.\; dull black; moderately shining; resembles Eleodes. Head longer than wide; deeply, finely, and rather thickly pubescent; eyes large and reniform; an- tennae short and stout; first segment long and broad; the second segment very short; last five segments slightly compressed. Pronotum wider at ape.x than base; almost as broad as long; sur- face finely punctate. Elytra finelv punctate and finely wrinkled; posterior rather suddenly slop- ing. Legs fairly long; tibiae and tarsi with fine silken pubescence underneath. Plant Community Relationship. The single specimen collected was in Pim'on-Juniper. It was collected by hand from under rocks. Seasonal Activity. This specimen was col- lected on [uly 26. Comments. This genus needs to be com- pletely revised. l(l-7)B-44 Alaephiis nevailcnsis Tanner, New Species Figures IV-A; XV-A; XXI Form elongate, rufotestaceous, median and lateral portions of the prothorax and elytra slight- ly paler; head and prothorax densely subrugose- ly punctate, dull in contrast to the rest of the body; elytra with prominent closely set punc- tures with inconspicuous short pale setae. Head small, widest at the eyes, which is one- half as wide as the prothorax; maxillary palpi prominent, third segment hatchet-shaped. Eyes small, not noticeably projecting beyond the sides of the front; width between the e)es above, five times the length of the second joint of the an- tennae, beneath separated by four and three- tenths the length of the second antennal seg- ment; antennae slender, less than half the length of the body; third joint only a little longer than the fourth segment; tenth segment slightly long- er than the eleventh. Prothorax tAvo-thirds wider tlian long; apex four-fifths as wide as base, sides evenlv rounded. not sinuate before the hind angles, which are obtuse; disk evenly convex. Elytra four times as long and twice as wide as the prothorax; humeral angle obtuse, sides parallel and arcuate beyond the middle; punc- tures under high magnification muricate with pale short hairs, noticeable near the decUvity and margin. Scutellum prominent, wedge- shaped. Prothorax beneath rugulose punctate. Metasternum and abdomen finely, sparsely punc- tate; each puncture bearing a pale decimibent seta. Basal joint of the hind tarsus only a frac- tion longer than the distal fourth joint. Length 6.6 mm; width 3 mm. Type locality: Mercury, Nye County, Nev- ada. Collected b)' members of Brigham Young University, AEC Project, 1961-62. Type and four paratopes in entomological collection at Brigham Young Universit)'. Remarks: Nevadensis belongs in Fall's coup- let Bni(;iiAM VoLNc Umvehsity Science Bulletin above and bcnt'iitli more tlian those in pallulus; antennae are shorter, the fonrtli joint is almost as long as tlie third one. Biusal joint of hind tarsae shorter than in pallulus. Plant Oommunitv Rehitionship. F"oiir speci- mens of tliis s[X,'cies were collected on July 25, 1961, on Elifintis ciiwrcux, a large-type hunch grass, in a Mixed community and one on July 1, 1961. in a Mixed community. Comments. The specimen collected on July 1 was in a Mi.xed coinmunitv near Cane Springs in tlie same can trap as Bhipsliniis puhescem. l(l-7)C-45 Eupsophidus cii.staucti.s Horn Figures IX-A; XIX-I Reference. Horn, Trans. Amer. Phil. Soc, XIV, New Series, 1870, p. 347. Morphological Characteristics. Length 9 to 14 mm; elongate; chestnut brown; moderately shining. Head elongate; front narrowing anter- iorly and broadly emarginate; ver)' sparsely punctate; eyes broad; antennae longer than the head and pronotimi; last segment long and slender. Pronotum sub(|uadrate; slightly broader than long; surface sparsely punctured. Elytra elongate-oval; broader at base than pronotum; humeri distinct; sparsely punctured. Legs slen- der; tarsi long with short spinuous hairs. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 35 specimens was collected. The greatest num- bers occurred in a Mixed cx)mmunitv', with un- der one-half this number in Lycium and one- tliird in Crayia-Lycium. In Larrea-Franseria they were one-sixth as abundant as in Lvcium. They were not present in .^tiiplex-Kochia, Salsola, C-ol- eogyne ;md Pinvon-|uniper communities. This species is a nocturnal living fonn. Most of the collections in Lvcium and Mixed were made by the beetle's being attracted to ultra-violet light. Seasonal Activity. This species was active during May, June and Julv. Comments. Due to the few specimen col- lection attempts made with ultra-violet light it is not possible to make an accurate determina- tion of .seasonal activity or relati\e abundance in the separate communities. 1(1-8) A-46 H flops attemuitiis LeConte Figiirts IX-D; XIX-K References. LeConte, Ann. Lye. N. Y., V, 1851, p. 1.37. LeConte and Horn. Class. Col. N. Amer., 1883, p. 240. Horn, Trans. Amer. Pliil. Soc, XIV, New Series, 1870, p. .397; Trans. .\mer. Ent. Soc., VIII, 1880, p. 1.52. Seidlitz, Natiirg. Ins. Deutschl., V, 1896, p. 696. Morphological Characteristics. Length 5 to 10 mm; elongate; con\ex; \;iries from reddish- brown to black with some ha\ing a lighter head and pronotum than elytra. Head fairly long; front dilated; coarse, dense punctures; eyes transN'erse and large; antennae long with outer joints siightlv compressed and pubescent. Pro- notum longer than broad; finely, densely piuic- tate. Elytra elongate-o\al; almost subcylindrical; humeri rounded; striae of coarse punctures. Legs long and fairly stout; heavy pubescent pad on all but the last segment of the tarsi. Plant Community Relationships. A total of 140 specimens was collected. Iliey were most abundant in Crayia-Lycium and about four- sevenths as abimdant in the Larrea-Franseria, Coleogyne, Salsola and .\triplex-Kochia. In Mix- ed the\' were two-sevenths as abundant as in disturbed Crayia-Lycium. They were not present in Lycium, Pinyon-Juniper, or Artemisia. Seasonal Vctivity. This species was active during even.' month except September, with the greatest numbers being collected during Febru- ary. Only a few specimens were collected in May, June, JuK-, .\ugust and October. There was an abrupt increase in the numbers «)llected during November, and then the\' remained at about the same le^Biological Series, Vol. 6, No. 1, Febhi'.\ry, 1965 DISCUSSION 41 In the desert areas of southwestern United States the darkhng beetles constitute a conspic- uous part of the ground-dwelling insects. They are primarily nocturnal and spend the day under rocks, debris, loose bark or in rodent burrows. Occasionally on cloudy days they may be seen lumbering along the desert floor. To the casual observer of such desert regions, it may seem sur- prising that 46 species of tenebrionids occur in the relatively small iu"ca comprising the Nevada Test Site. However, upon closer examination of the vegetation, it is apparent that a variety of habitats exists for which many species of beetles may be indigenous. Inasmuch as this is appar- ently one of the first studies of its kind dealing with tenebrionids of a specific area, investiga- tions in other desert areas may demonstrate these beetles to be even more common than this study has indicated. Abundance of Species At the Nevada Test Site the number of species of beetles found varied between plant communities. The Mixed and disturbed Grayia- Lycium communities supported the largest num- ber of species, whereas the fe\\'est were found in Atriple.x-Kochia and Pinvon-Juniper. These relationships may be explained on the basis of the greater variety of plant species which occur there. Such a mixture likely makes available a large variety of food for the plant-feeding dark- ling beetles. There are also a variety of micro- habitats available to the many species. Compar- ing this environment with that of the Atriplex- Kochia where relatively fev\- species were pres- ent, it is evident that in the latter community there are few plant species other than the two predominant ones. The vegetation is very short and sparse, and the number of micro-habitats is greatly reduced. These factors likely influence the number of species that may inhabit this community. The Larrea-Franseria and Lycium communities, which ;u"e typical of the Mohave Desert, supported almost as many numbers of species as the Grayia-Lycium, which is more typical of the Great Basin Desert. Other com- munities such as Atriplex-Kochia and Coleogyne supported fewer species than Larrea-Franseria and Lycium, even though they occupied the same geographic localities. Pinvon-Juniper, typ- ically Great Basin, supported the least number of species of all communities. Very likely the higher altitude, lower temperatures, increased moisture and longer periods of snow cover were limiting factors c-ompared to many species found in the other communities. This would lead one to assume tliat similar communities of the Mo- have Desert may support a greater number of species than the Great Basin communities. In areas where nuclear detonations have disturbed the normal biotic conditions, a differ- ent species association occurs. The disturbed Grayia-Lycium had a greater number of species than Grayia-Lycium whereas Salsola had less. In these areas the Salsola is just beginning the process of revegetation, and the number of in- vader plants are few. Disturbed Grayia-Lycium, however, is an ectonal area between the more stable, undisturbed plants and tliose areas where the native plants were completely eliminated. This communit)', then, may share species that are indigenous to the other two. Populations With reference to total populations of all tenebrionids, the disturbed Gra\ia-Lycium con- tained approximately one-third more individuals than Larrea-Franseria. Lycium and Coleogyne supported only one-fourtli as many specimens as did disturbed Grayia-Lycium. The Mixed community, in which the largest number of species was found, supported only one-seventh die population of disturbed Grayia-Lycium. The number of specimens in Atriplex-Kochia was considerably less than in any other community. W'ith reference to all tenebrionids there were two seasonal papulation peaks. In May and Sep- tember over 2,000 specimens were collected. Ap- proximately 1,.500 were taken in June, 1,000 in July, and 1,500 in August. From the peak in September there was a sharp decline in num- bers collected until December, when fewer than 100 individuals were found. In Coleogyne, Grayia-Lycium and Mixed communities the largest number of beetles col- lected was in September, with a lower peak in April and May (Figs. X and XII). The number collected in Larrea-Franseria, Lycium and Atriplex-Kochia increased gradually from a December low to a high in August and Septem- ber ( Fig. XI ) . Following this the number col- lected declined rapidly. High populations oc- curred in disturbed Grayia-Lycium and Salsola during March, April and May, when the num- bers of specimens taken were over a thousand each month. Collections declined in the follow- ing months, with a small increase in August and September (Figs. X and XII). 42 BitiGiiAM YoLNC UsivEHsm- Science Bulletin Plant Community Relationships Certain species demonstrated apparent plant communitv assoc-iatioii more tlian others. These associations were shouni bv Allred, ct al. ( 196.3a, pp. 42-43). One species, Eleodes obscura sulcipennis, was present in every community at the test site, whereas others were variously distributed in their occ-urrence. Si.\ species, E. extricata jri'^ida, E. tenebrosa, E. bmnnipes brevisctosa, E. nieniated ". . . in the adult or partly grown larval stage." O'Kane ( 1924 ) states that some tenebrionids have one generation annual!)'. As shoun by this study there iire t\vo population pe;ilcs iiOLOciCAL Sehies, Vol. 6, No. i, February, 1965 SUMMARY The intent of this study conducted over a period of three years was to ( 1 ) provide des- criptions of the species of tenebrionids found at the Nevada Test Site, (2) determine their rela- tive abundance, (3) determine their seasonal activity, and (4) ascertain their plant commun- ity relationships. A total of 14,650 beedes representing 46 kinds of tenebrionids was collected with sun- ken can traps, by hand, and ultra-violet hght. Collections were made at regular intervals in the following plant communities: Larrea-Fran- seria, Lycium, Atriplex-Kocliia, Grayia-Lycium (disturbed and undisturbed areas), Salsola, Coleogyne, Pinyon-Juniper, and Mixed. The data obtained from this studv indicate that ( 1 ) more species were present in some plant communities than in others; (2) in nuc- lear disturbed areas a larger number of species was present than in undisturbed areas; (3) some species were more closely associated with some plant associations than with others; (4) those species that were not widely distributed ecol- ogically were fewer in number of indi\dduals, whereas those that were widespread occurred in larger numbers, relatively speaking; ( 5 ) the spe- cies demonstrated variation in seasonal activity in that some were active for short periods where- as others were active during the whole vear; and (6) the two seasonal peaks in population are indicative that some species over-winter as adults whereas others over-winter as larvae. LITERATURE CITED Allred, D. M., D E.Beck, and C. D.Jorgensen. 1963a. Biotic Communities of the Nevada Test Site. Brig- ham Young Univ. Sci. Bull., Biol. Ser., Vol. 2, No. 2, 1963b. Nevada Test Site Study Areas and Specimen Depositories. Brigham Young Univ. Sci. Bull., Biol. Ser., Vol. 2, No. 4. Amett, Ross H. 1960-1962. The Beetles of the Unit- ed States, pp. 1-1111, Tcnebrionidae. pp. 645-696. Catholic University of America Press. Blackwclder, R. E. 1939. Fourth Supplement, 1933 to 1938 ( inclusive ) , to Leng's Catalogue of Cole- optera of America, North of Mexico. Mount Ver- non, N. Y.: John D. Sherman, pp. 1-146, Blackwelder, R. E., and Ruth M. 1948. Fifth Sup- plement, 1939-1947 (inclusive), to Leng's Cata- logue of Coleoptera of America, North of Mexico. Mount Vernon, N. Y.: John D. Sherm