November, 19ia.] 249 



Food plant. — Teucrmm Scorodoma, on which it is often excessively 

 abundant throug-hout the chalk downs of the south of England. It 

 probably occurs with that plant generally throughout the country ; 

 there is a record of Power's from Fifeshire quoted by Fowler, and one 

 of us has taken it as far north as Forres. 



Vars. — ^This species, for a member of this genus, is singularly 

 constant. The Scots specimens appear to be rather darker and more 

 strongly punctured, noticeably those from Forres ; but as Fowler says, 

 " this can hardly be considered as a constant variety," and the only 

 varietal form given in the European catalogue is v. helvolus, Kutsch. 

 [Wien. Monat., p. 269], of which we know no British examples. 



L. cuRTUs, All. [Ann. Soc. Ent. Fr., 1860, p. 832]. 



Syn. pratensis, All. [Joe. clt., p. 137 (nee Panz.)]. 

 This species bears a considerable resemblance to both L. memhranaceus and 

 L. lycopi. Of a short rather parallel-sided oval, very convex. Head : dark 

 brown or black, finely alutaceous between the eyes. Antenna? : moderate in 

 length, black or dark fnscons, with the first four or five joints ferruginous. 

 Thorax : transverse, bordered, very finely alutaceous, with punctuation variable 

 but usually weak and scattered, in colour ferruginous, often with darker cloudy 

 markings at sides and in front. Elytra : testaceous, lighter than thorax, 

 occasionally with darker cloudy linear markings, finely ahitaceous ; punctuation 

 bold, distinct, and more or less seriate, the punctures often having the appear- 

 ance of being marked in a rather darker colour than the rest of the elytral sur- 

 face ; suture very narrowly rufescent. Legs : testaceous, posterior femora 

 brown, darker on the iipper edge ; posterior tibial spurs very short ; first 

 anterior tarsal joints slightly enlarged. Underside dark ferruginous. Such 

 specimens as we have seen are winged, but it probably also occurs in the 

 apteroiis form. Length, 1^ — If mm. 



This species may be superficially distinguished among its allies by 

 its distinctly " stumpy " shape. From both L. waterhousei and 

 L. hallotse it may be separated by its much shorter posterior tibial 

 -^purs, and from L. memhranaceus and L. lycopi by its stronger and 

 coarser elytral punctuation. 



L. curtus was added to the British list (after submission for 

 confirmation to M. Bedel) by Mr. E. G. Elliman [Ent. Mo. Mag., XVII 

 ^1906) , p. 137] , who took it in some numbers near Chesham in October, 

 ind we have also seen specimens taken by Mr. E. A. Newbery in the 

 Isle of Wight. The only evidence we have relative to its possible food 

 Dlant in this country is that Myosotis was growing abundantly on the 

 j-round where Mr. Elliman made his capture, but according to Allard 

 t occurs in France on Echium vulgare. 



