2G'l [November, 



densely punctured, especially on the basal segment, which is punctured much as in 

 fticata. In varians this segment is rather coarsely and densely punctured. I have 

 described the $ from a continental specimen taken at Simplon in Switzerland, and 

 the $ from a specimen kindly presented to nie by Mr. Elgar. 



St. Ann's, Woking : 



October Hth, 1899. 



SOME REMARKS ON THE TWO SPECIES OF DIGLOSSA, Halidat, 

 OCCURRING- IN BRITAIN. 



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



The two species of this genus occurring iu Britain are generally 

 supposed to differ in the length of the elytra, but after a careful study 

 of a large number of examples, I am convinced that this is a variable 

 character, and common to both of them. The specimens with the 

 elytra nearly as long as the prothorax, and those with very short 

 elytra, are equally incapable of flight, there being a very small scale- 

 like rudimentary wing in the "apterous" forms, and a larger one in 

 the so-called " winged " examples. The latter have all the appearance 

 of winged forms, but in the numerous specimens I have examined, 

 British and French, nothing more than these rudimentary pieces are 

 visible when the elytra are opened. 



Mulsant and Rey [Brevipcnnes, pp. 74 — 90 (1S73)] admit four 

 species of the genus, Ganglbaucr and others two only. The two may 

 be separated thus : — 



Abdomen not, or very slightly, widening posteriorly, the sixth dorsal segment more 

 sparsely punctured than those preceding ; antennae piceous, paler at the base ; 

 prothorax feebly sinuate at the sides towards the base ; head, prothorax, and 



elytra slightly shining mersa, Halid. 



submarina, Fairni. 



Abdomen widening to the apex of the sixth segment, all the dorsal segments closely, 

 minutely punctate ; antennae ferruginous, or fusco-ferruginous, paler at the 

 base ; prothorax strongly sinuate at the sides towards the base ; head, prothorax, 



and elytra opaque si«Ma<Jco/Zi*, Muls. and Rey. 



crassa, Muls. and Rey. 



Both species vary greatly in size, as well as in the length of the 

 elytra, and some specimens have the head very large, these latter 

 being probably males. Canon Fowler, in his Table (Col. Brit., ii, 

 p. 171), gives the first species, mersa, as apterous, but lower down 

 he states that he has found it " on the wing, settling on large 

 pebbles, &c., in the sun, like Pliytosus spinifer.''' I cannot help 

 thinking that this is an error of observation, and that the insect 

 merely runs about on the stones in the sunshine when the tide is 



