Mr. A. Murray^s Monograph of the germs Catops. 137 



confounded is C nigricans ^ Spence. Its large size removes it from 

 all but it and C. meridionalis, Aube^ and C. chrysomeloides, Spence. 

 Independent of other distinctions, its colour at once distinguishes 

 it from meridionalis f which is ferruginous, while this is black. 

 It likewise wants the projecting posterior angles of the thorax. 

 Its subfiliform antennae distinguish it from C. chrysomeloides, 

 which has the heaviest and thickest clubbed antennae in the 

 genus ; and there only remains C. nigricans, to which it is much 

 more allied. Both have subfiliform antennse, pale at the base 

 and apex, and the proportionate length of the joints of the 

 antennse is much the same ; they are both black, with ferru- 

 ginous legs ; and I have specimens of nigiicans very little infe- 

 rior in. size to picipes, but picipes is a broader and more robust- 

 looking insect. It has the elytra much more convex and bellied 

 out, and its thorax is differently shaped, being more contracted 

 in front ; and very commonly nigricans has two or three depres- 

 sions on the disk of the thorax, which picipes has not. The 

 })osterior angles of the thorax in nigricans have a slight tendency 

 to project behind, which is not the case in picipes. V;J_' 



This species is found over the greater part of Europe, but is 

 rare. I have not yet seen a British specimen. Kraatz observes 

 that it is principally found in fungi, Fairmaire and Laboulbene 

 say it is taken in the trunks of trees (I presume decayed). 



10. C nigricans, J^pence. 

 Choleva nigricans, Spence, Linn. Trans, xi. 141. 3^.^^ .enxovflOO .SiJ^iiVi} 

 Catops nigricans, Erichs. Kaf. d. M. Br. i. 237. 6f 'SWrmi'SO^ti^Mil* •'Fn. 

 xiv. 18. 8. t. 273. f. c. C ; Heer, Fn. Helv. i. 380. 6 ; Redt. Fn. Aust. 

 144. 11 ; Kraatz, Stett. Ent. Zeit. xiii. 429. 11 ; Fairra. & Laboulb. 

 Fn. Ent. Fr. i. 303. 16. 

 Catops var. minor, C.fuliginosus, Erichs. Kaf. d. M. Br. i. 239. 10; Sturm, 

 / \ 1 Deutschl. Fn. xiv. 28. 13; Redt. Fn. Aust. 771. 



1 i C. caliginosus (Mus. Berol.). 



Catops var. major, C. longipennis, Choud. Bull, de Mosc. 1845, No; 111. 196. 



Oblongo-ovatus, niger sen piceo-brunneus ; an- ^^^S- ^' ,.J. 



tennis longioribus, obsolete clavatis, ferru- 

 gineis, apice plerumque fuscescentibus ; tho- 



. race transverse, postice latiore, angulis pos- 



V, ticis acuminatis; elytris apice substriatis. 



Long. If lin.-2 lin. 



Oblong- oval, convex. Black or piceous brown. 

 Antennoi a little longer than the head and thorax, , 

 very slightly thickened towards the extremity, 

 sometimes entirely ferruginous, more generally ferruginous at 

 the base and becoming fuscescent towards the point. Head 

 finely punctate, mouth reddish brown. Thorax very densely and 

 finely punctate, finely pubescent, a little nah'oider than the etytra, 



