250 [November, 



L. LYCOPi, Fouclr. [Mon., p. 193] ; Weise [Nat. Ins. Deutschl. VI, 

 p. 988]. 



Syu. ahdominalis, All. [Mou., p. 411]*; Dufts. [Faun. Austr. 

 Ill, p. 262] (nee Weise). 

 juncicola, Foiiclr. [Mon., p. 189]. 



One of the smallest of our British species. In shape, a long oval ; in colour, 

 elytra testaceous and thorax ferruginous, or sometimes entirely testaceous. 

 Head varying from dark ferriiginous to black, very finely alutaceous between 

 the eyes. Antenna3: comparatively short, testaceous, with last four or five 

 joints fuscous. Thorax : trausverse, bordered, usually of a redder colour than 

 the elytra, pvmctuation fine and regular but remote, interspaces either smooth 

 or alutaceous. Elytra : testaceous, with tlie sutural line dark red and very 

 narrow, usually somewhat suffused ; punctuation strong, much stronger than 

 that of thorax, regular and distinctly seriate (of tlie character of L. suturalis), 

 intervals feebly alutaceovis ; apices completely separately rounded. Legs 

 ferruginous, posterior femora partly or wholly black or pitchy red ; posterior 

 tibial spurs moderately long ; anterior tarsal joints hardly dilated in c? • 

 Underside ferruginous. Usually winged. Length, 1 — l.V mm. 



A variable species botli as reo'ards size, colour, and punctuation ; 

 and were it not that an intermediate gradation occurs, varietal forms, 

 if not valid species, might be differentiated under the names of ahdom- 

 inalis ov juncicola. In its largest form, however, L. lycopi is smaller 

 than any other of our species except L. pratensis, and perhaps very 

 small examples of L. hiridus. From L. pratensis its strong seriate 

 punctuation at once distinguishes it, while the smallest forms of 

 L. hiridus are more oval, always more consistently concolorous, and 

 much more strongly alutaceous than L. lycopi. 



Food plants. — Lycopiis europxus (Allard) ; Lycopus and Mentha 

 (Foudras) ; Mentha rotundifolia (Deville) . Commander J. J. Walker 

 has taten it on Nepeta Glechnma near Oxford. 



The species appears to be very rare in this country, and the few 

 records available are all from the south of England. 



L. cERiNus, Foudr. [Mon., p. 219] ; All. [Mon., p. 328]. 



This species was recorded and introduced to the British list by 

 E. C. Eye in the " Annual " for 1870, p. 90, on specimens believed to 

 have been taken at Mickleham. 



Even if Foudras' L. cerinus should be a good species, about which 



".Vllard, in tlic list of .synonyms given in lii.s MonoKrapli, makes liis own abdomindlis 

 equivalent to the hiropi of Foudras, b\it in tlie apiieiulix to that work (p. 320) appears to separate 

 them. The exponents, however, sent to WoUastou by Allard (see Vol. XXII, p. 242, supra) under 

 these two names are clearly the same sjiecies and differ merely in size. In the Waterhouse 

 catalogue of 185S they are treated as synonymous. 



