PROCEEDINGS'*)* 1 SOCIETIES. 117 



the insertion. Boheraann, however, who had observed these parasites on Typh- 

 locyba, and found that the grub enclosed itself in a cocoon, is of opinion that they 

 are the lame of some of the Chalcidce or ProctotrupidtR.* The matter was now 

 brought before the Association, in the hope, that some of the members might be 

 more successful in determining the question by direct observation. 



He showed also some Coleoptera and Diptera taken in Ireland. Two of these, 

 Heterothops dissimilis and Agathidium marginatum, had been found before in other 

 parts of the country, but were additions to the Coleopterous fauna of the Dublin 

 district, lately taken at Portmarnock. Also Pelina asnescens, new to the British 

 Fauna, taken at Lough Bray on the 14th of the last month, when a number of the mem- 

 bers of the Association visited the spot for the sake of collecting. This fly, belonging 

 to the group Ephydrini of the family Muscidce, was first observed in Lapland, but 

 has since been found in other parts of Sweden. Of this group, 65 British species were 

 enumerated in a brief sketch inserted in the "Annals of Natural History" in 1839. 

 An excellent Monograph of the Swedish species has been given by Stenhammar in 

 the volume of the " Transactions of the Royal Swedish Academy," published in 

 1844 ; and by the help of this and of Zetterstedt's "Diptera Scandinavise" some British 

 species had been since discriminated, and the number increased by six ; but of these 

 only two were new discoveries the fly in question and another which was also 

 before the meeting, Discomyza cimiciformis.-f At a former meeting of the Associa- 

 tion Dr. Kinahan had recorded an interesting observation as to the economy of 

 Discomyza incurva, the only species of the genus hitherto characterized. The 

 second species is not, however, a new discovery, as Mr. Haliday had received, in 

 1847, specimens, named as above, from Mr. Curtis, who first found it in June, 

 1842, near Quar Abbey (Isle of Wight) and in a marsh at Hyde. Last September 

 it was met with, not very scarce, on the banks of the creek of Owenbeg river, Cork 

 Harbour, chiefly on Seta maritima. Like the other species, it takes long skips, 

 probably with the help of the wings, but does not use them for a sustained flight. 

 On the shore of the same creek, within a space of a few yards square, the following 

 maritime Coleoptera occurred, besides others of less note: Bradycellus pubescens, 

 Pogonus chalceus, Bembidium laterale, Aepys robinii, Micralymma marinum 

 (Stroem), Heterocerus marshami. It was remarkable that of this list only the first 

 was known to Mr. Clear as a native of the County Cork. Mr. Haliday had never 

 before found all of them associated. The Aepys, which occurred also near Passage, 

 appears to be confined to those parts of the coast, below high-water mark, where 

 clay comes to the surface. Specimens from Scotland of Aepys robinii, the gift of 

 Mr. Javet, were shown, also Aepys marinus from Strangford. Mr. Haliday was 

 disposed to doubt the importance of the distinctions assigned to the two alleged 

 species. The difference in the armour of the feet led him to suspect that a sexual 

 distinction may have been treated as specific. He quoted the remarks under 

 Ptilium pallidum in the Faune Fran9aise of Fairmaire and Laboulbene "Les 

 angles posterieurs du corselet varient un peu, et il est facile, avec de la bonne 

 volonte, de trouver des angles tres obtus et des angles presque droits ; mais, 

 selon nous, ces deux termes sont fort exageres." He had found at Blarney Lake, 

 last summer, some specimens of Phytobius velatus (shown), of which he possessed 

 before but one taken at Holywood (Down). These were partly taken out of the 

 water, partly swept off the stems of Equisetum, when the sun was shining strong. 

 Beck, the first discoverer of this species, has remarked that it swims fast and dives. 

 The peculiar structure of the legs was shown, "natatorial," as Scbonherr calls them, 

 being thinly furnished with long hairs, the tarsi without the broad felt-like sole 

 usual in this family, and with scarcely any enlargement or notch of the penultimate 

 joint, but with long claws like those of Elmis, &c., by which it clings to the sub- 

 merged plants (Myriophyllum, Zannichellia, &c.) among which it haunts. A 

 second species, Ph. leucogaster, of which also specimens were shown, taken at 

 Holywood, has the like structure in some degree, and the two have been separated 

 from Phytobius by Redtenbacher as the genus Litodactylus, but as Suffrian has 

 pointed out, in the Stettin Entomological Journal, there are considerable differences 



Proceedings of Swedish Academy for 1850, p. 213. 

 t See the description of both these species at the end of this paper. 

 VOL. II. k 



