1 78 [August, 



ADDITIONAL BRITISH SPECIES OF ERNOBIUS. 



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



Lioznum parvicoUe Muls., Col. France, Terediles, p. 178. 



This is vevj different from our other species by the form of the 

 thorax, the base of which is narrow, while in the middle the sides 

 project so that a large space separates the most prominent part from 

 the elytra. The legs are dark, with yellow tarsi, the elytra are piceous- 

 brown. In the male the terminal three segments of the antennae are' 

 very long, and 6-8 are sub-equal in length, rather short, but not' 

 compressed as they are in Ernohins nigrinus. 



A specimen of this very distinct species was found near Mildenhall 

 on June 6th, 1899. It occurred, I believe, on the peculiar hedge of 

 conifers, near the road from Barton Mills to Brandon. Thomson's 

 genus Emobius bears the date 1863, and Mulsant's Liozomn, 1864, so 

 it may be presumed that the European catalogue is coi'rect in adopting 

 the former name. 



Liozoum consimile Muls., oj). cit., p. 167. 



This name is placed in the European catalogue as a synonym of 

 E. mollis. I have, however, been able to prove that the two species 

 are distinct. 



E. cnnsinillis Muls., is the form standing in my own collection 

 under the name of E. mollis, and I presume this will be found the 

 case in other collections of our native Coleoptera. If so, it is E. mollis 

 that is really a novelty in our fauna, and it is occurring at present at 

 Brockenhurst on burned Scotch fir-trees, in company with E. consimilis. 

 Some difficulty will at first be experienced in distinguishing the two, 

 owing to considerable variability and to the differences between the 

 sexes. These must be sepai'ated by the student as a preliminary to 

 the study of the specific distinctions. The male has usually longer 

 antennae than the female, and the ninth joint in it is quite parallel- 

 sided, while in the female it is just perceptibly curved on the inner 

 margin. 



E. mollis is a somewhat longer and paler insect, and has more 

 prominent eyes, the 6th, 7tli, and 8tli segments of the antennae are 

 subequal in length, while in corisitnilis the 7tli is definitely longer than 

 either the 6th or the 8th. In the male of mollis the front tibiae are 

 curved, in consimHis they are quite straight. 



