202 [September, 



Sjns.—femoralis, Marsli. [Ent. Brit. I, p. 201] ; All. [Mou., p.l23]. 

 pratensis,¥ondY. [Mou., p. 186]. 



Very variable in size. Of a rather long regular oval, somewhat acuminate. 

 Head dark ferruginous, hardly visibly ijunctured. Antennae : first four or five 

 joints testaceous, remainder fuscous to black. Thorax : ferruginous, visually 

 rather darker than elytra, transverse, very finely bordered, distinctly alutaceous, 

 punctuation distinct, variable in strength, biit always shallow and remote. 

 Elytra : testaceous, often somewhat translucent, and in apterous specimens 

 with indications of obscure darker markings ; punctiiation distinct and regular, 

 moderate in strength and closer than that of thorax ; sutural line rufescent and 

 narrow ; apices only slightly rounded. Pygidium clothed with short white cilia. 

 Legs : entirely testaceous, with a dark, usually black, elongate patch at the 

 upper apical half of the posterior femora ; posterior tibial spurs moderately 

 long, usiially thin and curved, but rather variable ; first anterior tarsal joint 

 not enlarged in <J . Underside entirely black. Winged or apterous. Length, 

 2—3 mm. 



The most distinctive character of this species is the pecuhar partial 

 darlvening of the hind femora, which is very persistent. Its much 

 larger size and quite different food plants separate L. exoletus from any 

 other species with a thin rufescent suture. Superficially, it might 

 possibly be confused with L. ochroleiicits, but in that species the hind 

 femora are entirely black, the general body-colour much Kghter, and 

 the punctuation of elytra weaker. 



Food plants. — The most usual is EcJmim vulgare, and we have 

 found it on that plant almost wherever it grows throughout the king- 

 dom. We have also taken it on Cynoglossiun offi,cinale in Sussex and 

 Suffolk, and on Lithospermum officinale near Malvern. Fowler, possibly 

 following Allard, adds Convolvulus sepium, but we have never known an 

 instance of its occurrence on that plant in this country. It is exceedingly 

 common wherever the Viper's Bugloss grows in the south of England, 

 and as no other Longitarsus at all similar is found on EcMum, its 

 association with that plant, together with the salient characters above 

 alluded to, render its recognition in the field comparatively easy. 



Vars. — rufulus, Foudr. (Mon., p. 205). The only difference between 

 this and the usual form is that the black upper surface of the posterior 

 femora is wanting, the femora being concolorous with the rest of the 

 legs — specimens occasionally occur with the type form — and out of a 

 large collection of the species individuals could certainly be selected 

 exhibiting a perfect gradation between almost entirely black hind 

 femora and this form. 



