334 Mr. J. Walton on the genus Apion. 



Swedish insect sent to him by Gyllenhal, which is now in the pos- 

 session of the Entomological Society : no doubt can exist as to 

 the identity of this insect ; it is pinned with a long fine pin and 

 labelled with Mr. Kirby^s number 27 ', subsequently Gyllenhal 

 described the same species ; and it is very remarkable, that the de- 

 scriptions of the sculpture by these celebrated entomologists are 

 very discrepant. The head between the eyes is described by Kirby 

 as having an impressed fovea, by Gyllenhal as flat, not impressed; 

 the thorax is defined by the former as deeply punctured, by the latter 

 as ohsoletely punctate. I have minutely examined the Swedish insect 

 above-named ; it has the head, between the eyes (when viewed in 

 front), evidently impressed, and the thorax distinctly punctured. 

 It has a very great resemblance in all its essential characters to 

 Ap. Spencii, and as the latter species is extremely variable, I have 

 hitherto regarded it as a male variety, but it appears to have the 

 rostrum a little shorter and rather less bent ; the antennae with 

 their articulations also appear to be rather shorter and a little 

 stouter ; these differences have caused me to hesitate in giving a 

 decided opinion. The British insect variety fi, cited by Kirby 

 under the name of Ap. foveolatum with a note of interrogation, 

 " an idem t" is beyond all doubt a male of Ap. Spencii ; and va- 

 riety 7. is decidedly a female variety of the same species. Gyl- 

 lenhal has referred the first {^.) to his Ap. intrusum, and I have 

 no doubt from his description it is synonymous with Ap. Spencii. 

 Germar has cited both the above varieties of Kirby {fi, 7.) under 

 his Ap. columbinum, but with a note of interrogation. I possess 

 a foreign example of the latter species from Gemiar ; it has the 

 habit of a female of Ap. Spencii with a narrow head, but appears 

 to be distinct from that species ; it differs in having the head 

 longer and constricted behind the eyes, with a much deeper con- 

 cavity between them, the concavity profoundly sulcate ; the thorax 

 somewhat cylindrical, deeply rugose-punctate ; the elytra longer, 

 less convex, and of an oblong-oval form : I have never seen a 

 British specimen like it. 



The typical examples of Ap. Spencii (27 ^ S)} now in the Kir- 

 bian collection, have the head with a distinct cavity or fovea be- 

 tween the eyes ; it is very extraordinary that Mr. Kirby in his 

 description should have omitted to notice this important cha- 

 racter. The male has the rostrum rather shorter than that of the 

 female, fihform, and covered with hairs to the apex ; in the latter 

 sex the rostrum is rather attenuated before the antennse, and 

 glabrous. Varieties of the female occur with very narrow heads ; 

 and the cavity between the eyes in both sexes is more or less 

 deep ; the fovese on each side of the dorsal channel towards the 

 base are sometimes obsolete or entirely wanting. When a long 

 series of this species is closely examined, the characters will be 

 found to be extremely variable. 



