(j^ [March, 



at the tip. The colour of the elytra is more sharply defined, the vitta 

 not being so oblique and of a deeper yellow tint (at least it is so in 

 the few examples I have yet taken). 



The parish of Mathon, at any rate the part of it where the moles' 

 nests occurred, lies just in Herefordshire near West Malveru. The 

 moles' runs were very abundant there, and this insect occurred in 

 company with Heferothops nigra {quadripunctula,^v\i. Cat.),oE which 

 several were found. 



Higlicroft, Malvern : 



February 6th, 1907. 



DESCRIPTION OF A SPECIES OF LACCOBIUS APPARENTLY NEW 



TO SCIENCE. 



BY THE REV. H. S. GORHAM, F.Z.S. 



Laccobius oblongus, n. sp. 



Ohlongo-ovattis, nigcr ; elylris tcstaceis, parum qrisco-variegads, confertim 

 irregulariter seriatim punetatis ; capite prothoraceque crebre punrtatis, hand 

 alutareits, hoc laterihus late testaceis ; pcdibus pallidis, hasi, prcescrtim an- 

 teriorum, infuscatis. Long., 4 mm. 



Closely allied to L. nigriceps, Thorns., from which it appears to 

 differ in being more oblong and a little less convex, and by the series 

 of punctures on the elytra being less irregular. In L. nigriceps, Th., 

 these series often run into a constellation of punctures and are lost 

 as a row, whereas in L. oblongus they usually maintain their integrity. 

 The head is wholly black. Three or four specimens were captured by 

 myself in Bottisham Fen, near Cambridge. 



Ur. Joy, to whom I sent my specimens, informed me they were 

 identical with the insect taken by him and Mr. Tomliu in Lundy 

 Island, and which he has recorded as being the siniiatus of Motschulsky 

 (following continental authors). It is to be observed, however, that 

 Dr. Joy does not allude to Dr. Sharp's determination of L. sinuatus, 

 and of the other species of this genus, in his note in the Ent, Mo. 

 Mag. for 1884, p. 85, in w'hich Dr. Sharp remarks that the determina- 

 tion of L. sinuatus, Mots., as synonymous with L. nigriceps of Thom- 

 son " is pretty certainly correct." For my own part I think the 

 identification of either of these species with sinuatus. Mots., is pro- 

 blematical, and quite useless, as the characters of these nearly allied 

 forms are not brought out by a reference to his description, which was 

 probably drawn from a medley. 



AV^ith regard to the male characters, I admit I cannot quite follow 



