1909.] 125 



long as the upper spur of the tibia, and but little shorter than the 

 three following joints together"). 



In 1862 Thomson (Skand. Col. v., p. 52) treated the species as 

 valid, remarking " prsecedenti \_A. plagiato] simillimus, baud seneo- 

 micans, statura majore, pedibus obscurioribus, tibiis posticis calcari 

 exteriore quam metatarso paulo breviore, metasterno parcius et 

 subtilius punctate, maris baud pubescente certe diversus." It will 

 be observed that he agrees with Erichson, except that he has quite 

 altered the Erichsonian statement as to the metatarsus and the spur. 



In 1871 Mulsant (Col. France, Lamellicornes, ed. 2, p. 224) 

 contemptuously dismissed Erichson's A. nirjer with the words " de 

 semblables individus ne sont probablemeut que des variations de 

 V A. pJagiatus'"' and subsequently adds " le plus grand eperon de la 

 jambe qu' Erichson dit aussi long que le premier article des tarses 

 posterieurs n'en egale parfois que la moitie." This latter phrase 

 might invalidate Thomson's statement (as alluded to above), but does 

 not bear on Erichson's, which deals primarily with the length of the 

 first tarsal joint, adding merely as a detail that this is as long as the 

 spur. Mulsant proposed to invalidate this by saying that it was 

 sometimes twice as long as the spur! It is evident, therefore, that 

 Mulsant did not give the matter a proper consideration. The species 

 is still maintained in the Catalogue of Palsearctic Coleoptera, and 

 I believe rightly so ; although it is more than probable that it is 

 sometimes erroneously determined in collections. 



Turning our attention to the question of the existence of A. niger 

 in Britain, we find that it was introduced by Crotch in 1867 (Tr. Ent. 

 Soc. Lend., ser. 3, v, p. 445) he saying " this species has been hitherto 

 confounded with the immaculate form of A. plagiatus, L. It is 

 abundant in the spring at Deal." 



In 1890 Eowler, Col. Brit., iv, p. 25, rejected the species as 

 British, saying under the heading of A. plagiatus that A. niger 

 " however does not appear to have been hitherto found in Britain 

 the posterior tarsi, moreover have the exterior spur 

 shorter." It will be seen that the writer w^as confused by the 

 erroneous statements previously made by Thomson and Mulsant, and 

 has changed the character given by Erichson into one that could not 

 exist, as there is no spur to the tarsi. Even if we read tibia instead 

 of tarsus Fowler's statement is wrong ; iiud it is important to notice 

 this, as it may have misled some of our entomologists. At the time 

 Crotch introduced A. niger as British he sent me an example of each 

 of his three forms, viz., A. plagiatus, plagiatus var. and A. niger, Crotch. 



