252 [November, 



This species may be at once distinguished from all oiu' other 

 Longltarft! bv the peculiar whitish - testaceous viuicolorous upper 

 surface whicli contrasts strongly with the very black colour of the 

 posterior femora. Otherwise L. ochroleucns much resemliles L. gracilis, 

 but apart from colour its distinctly longer posterior tibial spurs 

 distinguish it from that insect. Until one of us recently discovered 

 this insect in abmidance on Senecio vulgaris, and more spai'ingly on 

 8. jacohma on Tresco, one of the Scilly Islands, the food plant appears 

 to have been entirely unknown to both Continental and British 

 authorities.* 



There are records of its occurrence from various widely separated 

 localities throughout the kingdom, some of which should perhaps be 

 received witli caution. Although sometimes locally abmidant, it can 

 hardly be considered a generally common species. 



L. GRACILIS, Kutsch. [Wien. Monat. Vlil, p. 275] ; Weise [Nat. Ins. 

 Deutschl. YI, pp. 973, 1024]. ♦ 



Oblong-ovate, somewhat depressed, concolorous testaceous, very similar to 

 L. ochroleucus, but rather more brightly testaceous and without the black 

 femora of that species. 



Head varying in colour from ferruginoiis to pitchy, almost smooth between 

 eyes. Antennfe : moderately long, testaceoiis, with last five or six joints fuscous. 

 Thorax : transverse, bordered, exceedingly finely alutaceous, punctuation very 

 weak, often quite obsolete. Elytra : usually very slightly i^aler iii colour than 

 thorax, hardly visibly alutaceoiis, with pixnctuation irregular and very weak, 

 but close ; suture sometimes slightly reddish ; apices separately rovmded, and 

 bearing a few white cilia on external apical margins. Legs : concolorous with 

 body ; posterior femora hardly darker ; posterior tibial spurs very short and 

 blunt ; first anterior tarsal joint slightly enlarged in g . Usually winged, but 

 occasionally semi-apterous. Length, 1.^-2 mm. 



As we have previously pointed out, large specimens of this species 

 may be mistaken for small L. jacohxx, as both occur on the same 

 plant, but L. gracilis may generally be distinguished by its more 

 parallel- sided form and weaker punctuation. Its almost concolorous 

 posterior femora and shorter tibial spurs separate it from L. ochroleucus, 

 and its oblong instead of ovoid shape, and relatively shorter antennae, 

 from L. succineus. More closely perhaps it resembles L. pellucidus 

 but that species has the (elytra much more distinctly and remotely 

 punctured and is not usually taken on Senecio. 



* Thus Bedel : " On ignore absolument quelle pent §tre la plante nourricifere de cet insecte " 

 (CoL Bass. Seine, V, p. 313). 



