Mr. A. Murray on Coleoptera from Old Calahar, 123 



Hydrobiidse. 



Philhydrus, Sol. 



(Subgen. Helochares, Muls.) 



1. P, longipalpisj mihi. 



Oblongo-ovalis, latior pone medium, leviter convexus, brunneus 

 vel testacco-brunneus, valde nitidus, levissime dense punC* 

 tatusj clypeO bilobato ; palpis maxillarum longissimis, caput 

 cum thorace longitudine fere sequantibus ; thorace in angulis 

 anticis semicirculari impressione levissime punctata instructo ; 

 elytris sine stria suturali, sed punctorum duabus seriebus le- 

 vissimis ; subtus lividus vel pallide brunneus, pubescens ; pe- 

 dibus concoloribus, femoribus pubescentibus. 



Long. 3i-3| lin., lat. If lin. 



Oblong-oval, broadest behind the middle, gently convex, 

 brown, livid or testaceous brown, very shining and smooth, 

 pretty densely punctate, but so faintly that the punctuation is 

 not perceptible except under a good lens. Head rather darker 

 and more coarsely punctate than the rest of the body ; clypeus bi- 

 lobed, a row of minute punctures running parallel to the margin 

 of the lobes ; labrum, palpi, and other parts of the mouth ferru- 

 ginous ; maxillary palpi about as long as the head and thorax 

 taken together; labial palpi short. Thorax with the sides 

 rounded and sUghtly edged ; the anterior angles much rounded, 

 posterior gently rounded ; anterior margin slightly emarginate, 

 the base with the angles extending backwards and overlapping 

 the elytra : there is a curved impression in the anterior corner, 

 which may be likened to a letter C, one on each side, facing 

 each other (thus, C 0) ; more strictly, it may be described as a 

 congeries of faint punctures (deeper than those on the general 

 surface) lying parallel to the margin for the anterior two-thirds 

 of the thorax, turning inwards and downwards at the anterior 

 angle, extending in a curve towards the disk, and terminating at 

 some distance nearly opposite to a similarly curved impression 

 which extends upwards, as if to meet it, from the posterior end 

 of the marginal punctation; the marginal part of this semi- 

 circular impression is not so deep as the two incurved wings. 

 Scutellum elongate. Elytra without any sutural stria, but with 

 two faint though tolerably distinct rows of punctures, the exterior 

 one near the margin, and the interior one about halfway be- 

 tween the suture and the margin, but rather nearer the latter ; 

 the elytra have a slight disposition to turn up at the margin. 

 Under side same colour as above, but rather paler, pubescent. 

 Legs, with the thighs, pubescent ; posterior knees not pubescent. 

 [To be continued.] 



