134 NOTES ON TELEPHORI. 



" Oblong, black : with the mouth, the three basal joints of the antenna, 

 the margins of the thorax, the disc of which is very glossy, the tihicB, and 

 apex of the abdomen, pale testaceous : palpi fuscous. Long. corp. 3-3^. 



" This closely resembles the preceding species, but it is of 

 a deeper black, &c." — * Mandibulata,' iii. 295. 



It will be evident on examination that the two descriptions 

 now quoted do not present sufficiently distinct characteristics 

 to justify the adoption of both as species. Either Mr. Ste- 

 phens's ater must be a variety of his ^avilabr is, or vice versa. 

 Both are acknowledged to be very "variable," and yet the 

 only mark of distinction given as permanent, is WidXJlavila- 

 bris differs from the other by being of a " deeper black " ! 

 This surely cannot be considered sufficient for establishing a 

 species ; and a fact which has been stated to me by my es- 

 teemed friend, J. C. Dale, Esq., F.L.S., seems to prove that 

 even this slight peculiarity cannot be relied upon, — his spe- 

 cimens (named by Mr. Stephens himself), Mr. Dale informs 

 me " are not so dark." 



The above remarks I think lead to the conclusion that Mr. 

 Stephens's ater and Jlavilabris are one and the same species. 

 I believe, however, that I shall be able to show that the true 

 ater (of Linne) and Jlavilabris (of Fallen) are distinct. 



My attention was directed to this point by capturing a spe- 

 cimen of Telephoriis at Egremont, near Liverpool, which did 

 not agree with any of Mr. Stephens's descriptions, and which, 

 for some time, appeared to me to be an entirely new species. 

 Referring however to Paykull, I found that his description of 

 Tel. ater of Linne did not agree with the description of ater 

 given by Mr. Stephens, but that it did agree with my speci- 

 men. It appears evident, therefore, that previous to the oc- 

 currence just mentioned, the true ater has not been recorded 

 as taken in Britain, although a spurious ater has been for 

 some years entered in our Fauna. In this opinion I am sup- 

 ported by the fact that in the last edition of his * Guide ' Mr. 

 Curtis places an X before Tel. ater, Lin., denoting that he 

 has only foreign specimens of it. And I think that entomo- 

 logists, when they compare Mr. Stephens's descriptions with 

 the following one of my specimen, and with Paykull's of the 

 Linnaean ater, will be convinced of the coiTectness of the 

 above remarks. 



Description of a specimen of Telephoriis captured near 

 Liverpool in 1838; and presumed to be Tel. ater of Linne. 



Elongate : head, thorax, and elytra entirely black, the latter v/ith a gri- 

 seous pubescence : antennae with the basal joint testaceous: femora black 

 with the apex testaceous ; tibice of the latter hue : tarsi fuscescent. Long, 

 corp. 3i lin. 



