Mr. J. Walton on the genus Sitona. 231 



guished by its smaller size and less distinct colouring, of which 

 however there are many transitions*/' Mr. Stephens has in his 

 cabinet examples of Cure, flavescens and C. nigriclavis from the 

 Marshamian collection ; these I have recently examined and com- 

 pared with the descriptions, which leave no doubt on my mind as 

 to their authenticity and identity ; the former is a pale immature 

 variety, and the latter is black, with the tibiae and tarsi rufous. 

 According to Germar, Cure, caninus of Fab. is a variety of Cure, 

 lineatus of Linn.f; and it appears from the Banksian cabinet 

 that Fabricius has mixed this species with C. lineatus ] conse- 

 quently the Fabrician name Cure, eaninus, used by Gyllenhal and 

 Stephens as the oldest, must necessarily be changed, not for oc- 

 topunetatus of Germ, (a new name, and denoting a different in- 

 sect), but for the next oldest, either for flaveseens or nigrielavis 

 of Marsh. I have preferred flaveseens because it is the first-de- 

 scribed, and I think equally appropriate and more current, being 

 synonymized by Gyll., Germ, and Schonh. without a note of in- 

 terrogation. 



This insect unquestionably approaches extremely close to Sit, 

 puneticollis, and I formerly had a doubt whether it was suffi- 

 ciently distinct J, but after a lapse of eight years I am now sa- 

 tisfied it is a good species, and may be recognised with facility 

 by that peculiarity of form technically called habit ; it is not only 

 of a smaller size than the preceding, but is distinctly shorter in 

 proportion to the breadth and of a different form ; it also differs 

 by having the head narrower ; the front with a very deep channel 

 extending to the vertex, and nearly to the apex of the rostrum ; 

 the eyes are smaller and less prominent ; the thorax has the fines 

 and spots indistinct ; the elytra are distinctly shorter ; and the al- 

 ternate interstices in recent specimens are more or less distinctly 

 variegated. I possess specimens with the body and legs entirely 

 flavescent or rufous, and others black with the tibiae and tarsi 

 ferruginous, the effect of immaturity and of age. Mr. Water- 

 house always considered this insect specifically distinct, and has 

 received many specimens from Scotland, but not accompanied by 

 one of Sit. punetieollis. 



Found abundantly throughout Great Britain in fields of grass 

 and clover from May to October. 



8. Sitona humeralis (Kirb. MSS.), Steph. 1831. 



— Pisi, Steph. ^ 



— promptus, Schonh. 1834. 



I possess foreign specimens of this insect from Germar and 

 Chevrolat, named Sitones promptus of Schonh. 



* Ent. Zeit. Stettin, no. 5. p. 99, 1842. 



t Ins. Spec. p. 416. no. 4. J Ent. Mag. v. p. 254, 1838. 



