122 



[Mity, 



with the head close to the other extremity, just as does the hirva of 

 Cymaiophora Jlavicornis when full-grown. 



The larvae all pupated below the surface of the earth in their 

 cage, and the moths emerged from July 25th to August -Ith. 



Huddersfield : April 1th, 1891. 



ON THE FORM OF THE MAXILLA IN CERTAIN EUROPEAN 

 SPECIES OP THE GENUS MORDELLA. 



BY G. C. CHAMPION, F Z.S. 



In the European species of the genus Mordelln, including the 

 British M. aculeata, Linn.,* the type of the genus, and M. fasciata, 

 Fabr., the maxillse vary in shape to an extraordinary degree, according 

 to the species. This character appears to 

 have escaped the observation of such ac- 

 curate observers as Lacordaire, Mulsant, 

 Emery, and others. The extreme forms are 

 well seen in M. aculeata and M. fasciata, 

 of which, and of M. sulcicauda, Muls., I have 

 dissected out the mouth-parts of numerous 

 examples of both sexes. In M. aculeata, the 

 outer ciliated lobe of the maxilla is exceed- 

 ingly long and linear, riband-like, tapering 

 to a point, the inner lobe being also long 

 and slender (fig. 1) ; the outer lobes project, 

 tongue-like, far beyond the front of the head, 

 and are easily seen without dissection. This 

 is the form represented by Jacquelin-Duval 

 (Gen. Col. Europ., iii, t. 90, fig. 447, his), and 

 given by him (op. cit., pp. 405, 406) amongst the generic characters 

 of Mordella: " machoires a lobes lamelliformes coriaces ; I'externe 

 tres-etroit, lineaire; presque aussi long que le palpe, tres-obtusement 

 coude en dehors avant son milieu, attenue au sommet, tres-brievement 

 cilie ; rinterne aussi etroit, ina-is atteignant a peine au coude de 

 I'externe, detache a sa base, densement cilie en dedans a I'extremite ;" 

 but by some mistake the maxilla figured is attributed to M. fasciata. 

 In M. fasciata, the outer ciliated lobe is short and comparatively 



* In the Rev. W. W. Fowler's work on the British Coleoptera, v, p. 69, the locality, "Wester- 

 ham, Kent, frequent {Gorkam)," is given amongst others for this very rare British .species, bat 

 this probably refers to M. fasciata, Fabr., and not to M. aculeata. The latter is very widely 

 distributed and common on the continent, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean region, occur- 

 ring on high mountainous ground, as well as on the warm southern shores of Europe, and ought 

 to be funnd nioie frequently in Britain. I have only seen it alive myself in Norway, but possess 

 examples from Switzerland, Gibraltar, various places in the Mediterranean region, Asia Minor, &c 



I 



d 



