1913.] 225 



last joint of the maxillary palpi is large and narrower towards the base, 

 and the thorax has about 8 punctures in the dorsal series. It will be 

 noticed that Gauglbauer describes the first-mentioned insect (Die 

 Kafer von Mitteleuropa, Vol. II, p. 480) imder the name angvstatus, 

 Steph., and Fowler the latter under the name ochraceus, Gryll. (Coleop- 

 tera Brit. Islands, Vol. II, p. 287). Stephens' description of 

 X. angustatus might apply to many species of the genus, and 

 Mr. E. A. Waterliouse, who Ivindly examined for me the specimens in 

 Stephens' collection, tells me that all but one are X. linearis, 01. 

 Gyllenhal's description of X. ochraceus does not help us nuich, as he 

 evidently had the two species before him, the thoracic dorsal series 

 being recorded as consisting of from 8-12 punctures. On the whole I 

 think it best to keep to Gyllenhal's name, discarding Stephens' on the 

 ground that the description is inadequate, and the " types " of no help. 

 It would seem that the name ochraceus must be applied to the species 

 with 8 punctures in the dorsal thoracic series, as this is the first number 

 mentioned. For the other species I propose the name substrigosus . 

 Besides these two, I have taken several specimens of another form from 

 flood-rubbish gathered in Scotland. This is very closely allied to 

 X. ochraceus, but I think it may be regarded as a good species. In all 

 three forms the colour is the same, the antennae varying a good deal in 

 this respect, being sometimes entirely reddish or pi tchy- red, or with the 

 first joint black. As in other species of Xantholinus the head varies 

 somewhat in shape, being in some specimens parallel -sided, in others 

 narrowed in front. The aedeagus in this group is of peculiar structure, 

 looking in dried specimens like a large pear-shaped deflated bladder, 

 the central lobe being often difiicult to see. 



It is necessary to mention the following characters in X. ochraceus: 



On the head there are two short grooves starting- from tlie front margin 

 close to the insertion of the antennte and converging somewhat behind, and 

 slight traces of another groove on each side parallel to these starting from the 

 upper and front segment of the eyes. The vertex of the head, and the space 

 between the inner grooves, is irregularly punctured with large and small 

 punctures ; the sides of the head are strongly and closely punctured, the space 

 between the pvmctures is quite smooth and shining, except close to the hind 

 angles, where it is very iinely cross-strigose. The last joint of the maxillary 

 palpi is longer and slightly narrower than the penultimate, and is broadest at 

 about the jvmction of the basal and middle thirds ; the thorax has from 7 to 9 

 punctures in the dorsal series, there being generally a broad gap in them about 

 the middle, the disc is extremely finely and diffusely pxinctured ; the lateral 

 lobes of the aedeagus are large, triangrdar and thick. 



