THE FAMILY LYCTIDE. 115

 Head prominent, constricted behind the eyes; oral organs small; epistoma distinct, labrum distinct.
 Prothorax with the episterna and epimera fused; lateral margin distinct or obsolete; coxal cavities rounidemld, closed( behind.
 Mesosternum small, surrounding the coxaw anteriorly and at the sides; mesepisternum and mesepimeron not attaining the coxa.
 Metasternum long.
 Elytra entire, completely covering the abdomen, epipleurw narrow.
 Abdomen with five visible ventral segments, the first a always longer than the second.
 Anterior coxe subcontiguous or widely separated, subglobose, moderately prominent; middle coxe similar to anterior; posterior coxw widely separated, transverse, subprominent internally, externally grooved for the reception of the thighs.
 Legs not contractile, slender; tibim slender; tarsi five-segmented, the first segment very short.

 SYNOPSIS OF GENERA.

 At present but three distinct genera belonging to this family are recognized. They may be separated as follows: Antennal club with both segments subequal, neither decidedly elongated; pronotum varying in shape from subquadrate with all angles acute to cordate with the angles rounded; elytra punctate, the punctures confused or distinctly seriate; pubescence confused or seriate; anterior tibiae slender, acutely produced externally; tarsi slender..................................................Lyctus Fabricius.
Antennal club with both segments very strongly elongated, the segments much longer than broad, the terminal one very much narrower than the preceding; sides of head with three hooklike teeth; the prothorax as in Lyctus (Trogoxylon), the margins, however, clothed with bristles; elytra punctured in not very regular rows, the pubescence, however, scarcely in rows; anterior tibia on either side strongly widened into a tooth externally, with a large tooth, straight at the base and hooklike at the apex; tarsi rather slender; claw-segment simple......Lyctoxylon Reitter. Antennal club with terminal segment elongate, sides of head with three weak teeth at either side; margins of pronotum denticulated and, like the margins of the body, with bristles; elytra striately punctured, with rows of erect bristles. Tibiae at the outer angle unequal, curved, the anterior widened into a tooth at the apex, with a somewhat large curved spine; tarsal segments short, claw segment strongly clavately thickened, claws simple, rather small; form of body and prothorax as in Lyctus.......................................................Minthea Pascoe.

 REVISIONAL NOTES.

 In the foregoing generic synopsis Trogoxylon Le Conte has been placed with Lyctus, as has been done by Colonel Casey (1891). Le Conte, in separating the genera, did so on the ground that TrogoxyIon did not have the anterior tibia prolonged at the outer apical
 a The first visible ventral segment in the Lyctide is the third abdominal sternite. (See Hopkins, Tech. Ser. 17, Pt. I, Bur, Ent., U. S. Dept. Agr., p. 55, fig. 38, 1909.)
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