108 f^'^y- 



of the testaceous or fuscous coloration. This insect cannot be identi- 

 fied with any of the Chilean Heteromera described by Fairmaire and 

 Grermain, nor is it the Physcius maximus of Pic, frora the same 

 country. It is therefore assumed to be new. 



{To be contiriued.) 



STUDIES IN HELOPHORINI. 



BY D. SHARP, M.A., F.R.S. 



10.~HEL0PH0RU8 (continued from p. 86). 



19. — HelofhoTus walkeri, sp. n. 



Sat elongatus, antennis palpis pedibusque Jlavis, thorace margine laterali 

 plus minusve late Jiavescente ; elytris fortiter profunda punctatis, ante medium 

 depressis, epipleuris rufis, mi?iws angustis. Long. 3^—4^ min. 



Mas, aedeago hrevi et lato, pallescente. 



Hah. : Europa. 



An extremely variable species, not uncommon in England and Scotland, 

 but mixed with others in our collections, esi^ecially with aeneipennis. It is so 

 variable in the minor characters that it is almost useless to describe these ; biit 

 it may be roughly divided into two forms, which I have in vain endeavoured 

 to separate by any. characters at all stable. First, there is a shining form with 

 a pecrdiar varnished appearance, having a metallic shimmer on the elytra 

 which appear dark in colour, the sculpture of the thorax rather fine. 



The second form is more flavescent in the colour of the elytra, which are 

 also not so shining, and the sculpture of the thorax is usiially very coarse, 

 sometimes remarkably so. 



Various combinations of the minor characters occur, but it is scarcely 

 possible to obtain two or three that quite agree, and as this variation may be 

 found amongst individiials found together, I believe there is but one species 

 among the two or three hundred specimens before me. Some of the exponents 

 resemble varieties of other forms so greatly, that, in view of the general 

 instability, conviction as to the species will only be obtained by a study of 

 the aedeagus (fig. 38), which I have examined in iipwards of fifty speci- 

 mens. It is always short and broad, with short basal piece, and is pallid in 

 colour, never tinged with black pigment. In this species the aedeagus never 

 becomes hard, but is always more or less elastic and flexible. The basal piece 

 is peculiarly liable to shrivelling : sometimes it is quite flattened out, while in 

 other cases it resumes the curved form which is natui'al to it, as a portion of a 

 tube of which the other half is membranous : it is the anterior part of the 

 basal piece that is most subject to this contraction, and therefore this part 

 sometimes looks much narrower, and the basal piece less parallel-sided. The 

 struts are always remarkably elongate. , 



