Way, ISwl.l , 117 



Schilling ; the other is the species which has been named punctatus by Mr. Edwards, 

 but which I described ten years ago under the name grandis (Term. Fiizotek, 1880, 

 p. 185, 4). 



Mr. Saunders does not believe in the distinctness of this species, and considers 

 it only as a variety of affinis. If one only consulted the description given by Mr. 

 Edwards, one would willingly accept this view ; but, on examining the types, one 

 can prove to oneself easily that it is a good and very distinct species. It differs 

 from affinis by its larger size, the structure of the pronotum, and the development 

 of the membrane in the brachypterous forms. One might say that the development 

 of the membrane is intermediate between that of the bi-achypterous and that of the 

 macropterous form of affinis. This species, described by me from Hungary and by 

 Mr. Edwards from Britain, is probably distributed over the whole of Europe. 



Let us now examine the remaining species with the mesosteruum 

 sim[)]e. 



Mr. Edwards records three species, adjunctus, D. & S., neglectus, 

 Edw., and decoratus, Hahn. 



As to adjunctus, D. & S., Mr. Saunders has shown that it is an insect with tuber- 

 culated mesosternum, and identical with affinis, Schill. My friends, Dr. Puton, 

 Reuter, as well as myself and Mr. Edwards too, have been deceived in considering 

 the adjunctus, D. & S., to be a species without tubercles ; the species named by us 

 erroneously adjunctus is really Thomsoni, Reut. {decoratus. Thorns., nee Hahu), of 

 which the neglectus, Edw., seems to me to be only an insignificant variety with the 

 first two antennal joints partly black ; at least, I cannot find in it any character of 

 specific value. The colour of the antennae is in this species variable, and the black 

 colour tends to develop more or less. Specimens with the 1st and 2nd joints of the 

 antennae entirely testaceous are very common in Transcaucasia, but are less frequent 

 in Europe. 



Decoratus, Hahn (ericetorum, Leth.), differs from the preceding by the structure 

 of the pronotum, which is shorter, more transverse, with the lateral margins a little 

 straighter, the coloration as a whole is more obscure, and the antennae are generally 

 black, the membrane is nearly always complete. 



According to my investigations there should be five species of 

 Scolopostethus in Britain. 



1. pictus, Schill. 



2. grandis, Horv., = punctafus, Edw. 



3. affinis, Schill., = adjunctus, U. & S. 



4. Thomsoni, Eeut., = adjunctus, Edw., and neglectus, Edw. 



5. decoratus, Hahn. 



The European fauna possesses altogether nine species of this 

 genus, which may be distinguished by the following tabic : — 



1 (12) Pronoto, scutello hemelytrieque glabris. 



2 (3) Antennis gracilibus, corpore dimidio longioribus ; dentemajusculofemorum 



anticorum in medio sito ; vertice inter oculos pilis duobus longioribus 



