﻿composed of groups exliibiting good generic characters, one 

 of whicli I proposed to name Acaiithosuma, in allusion to the 

 spined keel on the underside; and if' it be not a remarkable 

 circumstance, it is a proof of the negligence of the German 

 writers, when we find Hahn giving a new name to the same 

 group ten years after it had been established in this work, and 

 adopted by Laporte and Burmeister. Another peculiar mark 

 of distinction is the biarticulate tarsi, which however are re- 

 presented distinctly triarticidate in Hahn's figure, 158. 



Tiie larvge of this family have no wings, and the pupa? have 

 rudiments only; they generally resemble the imago in colour, 

 are very active, and emit a very disagreeable scent when 

 touched: in every stage they live upon the juices obtained 

 from small insects, especially caterpillars. 



When the first edition was published, there were only three 

 British species of Acanthosoma discovered, and now five are 

 recorded. 



1. hiemorrhoidalis Linn. — Curt. Brit. Ent. pi. 28. c^. 



By no means a rare insect, inhabiting the white-thorn 

 flowers in June, and found in hedges and plantations in Oc- 

 tober. 



2. liturata Fab. — Panz. \0. 19. length 4^ lines. 



Similar to No. 1 : elytra green niari:iiiecl with red, excepting the costa ; 



mcnihrane and wings hyaline, fornuT with a brown ])atch on the costa. 



This and the following species seem to have been con- 

 founded, the descri})tions and figures consequently often suit 

 both and yet difl'er materially. Fountl in ^lay in Birch and 

 Coomb-woods, and in August on larch trees, in a plantation 

 on Shirley common. 



3. j)icta Liiin. Cab. pictipennis Nevo. — lituratus Wul.t. 2. f. J 4. 

 Beautiful green : hinder angles of thorax and coriaceous portion of elytra 

 hright red, excepting the costa : membrane hyaline, with a wavy fuscous 

 striga and a brown dot between it and the elytron : wings fuscous, tips 

 hvaline: abdomen black above, margin and apex green : length I] lines. 



March and April, abundant on junipers in Birch-wood ; end 

 of August on larch trees, with No. 2. Mr. Davis. 



4-. agathina jpa6, — achatinus Wolff, t. 6./. 55. — length .31 lines. 

 Greenish-ochre, with black punctures; a broad transverse piceous and 

 rosy band on the scutel ; margins of abdomen spotted with black ; tips of 

 antenn;e piceous. 

 Bef:inninfjof.June, Darent-wood, 31st Augi on larch trees. 



5. grisea Linn. F. S. n. 926.— Panz. 33.17?— /ro///.' /. 6./ 56 ? 



" (iriseous with deep scattered punctures : scutel more luscous towards 



the base ; wings clouded with fuscous; antenna' blackish-fiiscous : back 



of abdomen black, margins whitish, spotted with black." length 7^ lines? 



Never having seen this species, I cannot be certain that it 



belongs to this geiuis : the spine, if correctly rejiresentctl by 



Wolfl", is very difl'erent to that oi Acanthosumrj. Mr. Davis 



informed me that he took a specimen the 31st Aug. on a larch 



tree in a plantation on Shirley connnon, anil that he found 



at the same time all the other species. 



The plant is Mcrcurialis pcrcnnis mas, Dogs' Meiciiry. 



