THE AQUATIC COLEOPTERA OF THE SOLWAY DISTRICT 145 



THE AQUATIC COLEOPTERA OF THE 

 SOLWAY DISTRICT. 



By Frank Balfour-Browne, M.A. (Oxon.), F.R.S.E., F.Z.S. 



{Cojitiiiued from p. 86.) 



The total number of species compares very favourably 

 with that of other counties. Surrey, for instance, has a list 

 of about 135 species, while Sussex E. has about 130. The 

 biggest list is for East Norfolk and contains about 150 

 species. The Cumberland List contains about 97 species 

 and the Cheshire List about 107. Mid West Yorks, in 

 which is the famous Askham Bog and Chaloner's Whin, 

 only boasts about 102 species, while South Devon has 

 109 and East Suffolk 115. These are some examples of 

 counties and vice-counties which have been well worked, 

 and it is seen that the Solway district stands well in the 

 list. It is impossible to be quite precise as to the number 

 of species in any district owing to the recent changes which 

 have been made in our list, e.g. the introduction of Octhebius 

 viridis^ Peyr., Laccobius simiatus^ Mots., Helophorus porculuSy 

 Bedel, etc., as additional species, previously mixed with 

 others in our cabinets. 



The most remarkable point about the Solway Water- 

 beetle fauna is the Southern-British element which it con- 

 tains, of which the following are examples : — Bidessus 

 ininutissimiis, Germ. ; Berosus sigiiaticollis^ Charp. (Lennon) ; 

 Helophorus nmlsanti, Rye [ = dorsalis^ Marsh] (Lennon, 

 Sharp, etc.) ; OctJiebius airriculatus, Rey (Lennon, etc.) ; 

 O. lejolisii^ Rey and Muls. The records for B. minutissivius 

 in Britain are at present few in number. It was first found 

 in the river Lee, at Cork, by Clear, and recorded by 

 Wollaston as a new species, H. trifasciatus [' Descriptions 

 of three newly discovered British Species of Coleoptera,' 

 "Ann. Nat. Hist," xviii. 452-3, 1846]. For some reason 

 Wollaston later doubted the origin of Clear's specimens 

 ('Capture in Devon of B. viinutissiumsl " EIvIM." vi. 57, 

 1869), so that the Irish record was of little value. It was, 

 however, rediscovered in Ireland about 1900, by Halbert,. 



71 c 



