New Species of Mexisphodrus From Mexican Caves (Coleoptera: Carabidae)

The first true sphodrine known from North America was collected in a cave in Veracruz, Mexico, in 964. I described it as Mexisphodrus veraecrucis (Barr, 965), emphasizing the sharply truncate, triangular base of the prosternum, which appears to. be the most reliable sphodrine character. Straneo (957) had previously assigned another interesting anchomenine genus, Bolivaridius Straneo, to. the true sphodrines because of a superficial resemblance to Sphodropsis Seidlitz, but Bolivaridius lacks the characteristic prosternal feature so clearly exhibited in Mexisphodrus and the Palearctic sphodrines, and in mv opinion does not belong in this group. Mr. James R. Reddell and the members of the. Association for Mexican Cave Studies have recently sent me additional specimens referable to Iexisphodrus. rather obviously specifically distinct from 36. veraecrucis. These insects were .collected in deep pits in San Luis Potosi and Tamaulipas, respectively. I am indebted to Mr. ReddelI and to Messrs. David McKenzie, John Fish, L. E. Gilbert, and Orion Knox for this unusual material. Holotypes of both species are deposited in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University. Mexisphodrus tlamayaensis Barr, new species