1009.] 53 



NOTES ON VARIOUS BRITISH COLEOPTERA CContinuedJ. 

 BY v.. A. NEWBEEY. 



Athous NIGER, L., and A. hibtus, Herbst. 



After an examination of British specimens, M. du Buysson has 

 pointed ont that the insect standing in our collections and catalogues 

 as Athous niger is not the A. niqer, L. (= alpinus, E-edt., deflexus, 

 Thorns.), of the European Catalogue and Continental collections ; but 

 is A. hirfus, Herbst (^ nigrinun, Marsh., porrectus, Thorns.). The 

 synonymy of the two species has been much confused, the niger of one 

 author being the hirtiis of another, and vice versa. It is not altogether 

 unlikely that both the above species are British. They may be 

 separated thus : — 



A. Prosternal projection flat between the anterior coxae, rectilinear and not deflexed 

 beyond the latter ; sexes but little different in form. L. 12 — 17 mm.... 



A. hirtus, Herbst. 



AA. Prosternal projection curved downward behind the anterior coxse, forming 

 with the profile of the prosternum a distinctly arched line, in form of a very 

 elongate S ; sexes very differently formed, the $ being broad, obtuse, and 

 gibbous. L. 10 — 14 mm A. niger, L. 



M. du Buysson cives several minor distinctions in his valuable 

 work (Faune Gallo-Rhenane— Elaterida?, p. 343), but he tells me that 

 he regards the form of the prosternal process, viewed in profile, as the 

 best character. Both insects are of wide European distribution. 



Otliius meJanocephalus, Grav., and O.mt/rmecojjJiilus, l^ies. — These 

 two species have always been difhcult to separate, the characters 

 derived from the shape of the head, the position of the punctures on 

 the thorax, and the colour of the latter, being all unsatisfactory. 

 Eeitter, in his recently published tables of the Othiini and Xantho- 

 linini, has given some new distinctions which, if constant, appear to be 

 easier to apply than the above-mentioned. 

 A. Apical margin of 6th dorsal abdominal segment furnished with a fine white 



membrane ; body winged 0. melanocephalus, Grav. 



AA. Apical margin of fith dorsal abdominal segment without membrane; body 

 apterous O. myrmecophilus, Kies. 



As far as I have been able to test the above characters they seem 

 to be satisfactory. A third species in this group is attributed by 

 Keitter to Britain, i.e., O. lapidicola, Kies., = longicornis, ISteph. 

 This is surely an error, for " 8teph." read " Thorns. ? ". 



13, Oppidan's Road, 



Primrose Hill, N.W. : ' 



February ioth, 1909. 



