The representation in North America of the genus Meligethes Stephens was first discovered by LeConte, who, in 1857, described three species rufimanus, moerens, and seminulum. In 1859 he added to this list saevus and ruficornis. Gemminger and Harold in their catalog published in 1868 retained at five the total of Nearctic species, though the trivial name mutatus Harold was introduced in place of ruficornis LeConte by reason of the preoccupation of the latter (Heer, 1841). Horn, in 1879, when revising the Nitidulidae of the United States, added a further species, M. pinguis, but the recognition of the identity of rufimanus LeConte and moerens LeConte served to maintain the previous total, in which no further change was noted at the publication of the Leng catalog in 1920, or in 1943 when Parsons again revised the Nitidulidae of North America. A sixth species, M. simplipes Easton, was described in 1947. The present paper introduces two further species, M. canadensis, new species, and M. atratus Olivier, already well known in the Old World. M. seminulum LeConte is shown to be identical with the Palaearctic M. nigrescens Stephens, while M. aeneus Fabricius is deleted from the list, it being asserted that its representatives in North America are conspecific with M. rufimanus LeConte and distinct from the Palaearctic species. In compiling this revision I am fully conscious of the debt I owe to my many friends across the Atlantic without whose untiring help in sending material its inception would have been impossible. So many have rendered invaluable assistance in this and other ways 309152-55 1 87 88 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL IVIUSEUM vol. i04
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