126 I^-^""®' 



His J. n/'r/er is a very rerriiirkable specimen and left me in doubt as 

 to whether it is a female of A. 2)Iat/iafus concolor, or a male of A. 

 nicjer. I have now examined tins specimen again ; it has lost the 

 posterior tarsi, but is I have little doubt an example of plagiatus 

 concolor. I have also examined the specimens named by Crotch 

 A. niqer\ in his collection at Cambridge, and T find that they are 

 varieties of plagiatus. 



I have found since 18(57 several specimens of A. plnc/iatus 

 immaculatus at Deal, but I have never met with the form marked with 

 red that is known to occur there. On the other hand, 1 possess a 

 female found in the ISew Forest that answers all the requirements of 

 Erichson, as stated above, for A. niger, and I believe the species 

 should be re-instated in our Catalogue. The individual is a worn one, 

 and 1 see but little difference as regards the projection of the cheeks, 

 but I cannot doubt the specimen : though I should like to find 

 the male I have failed to do so. Tn addition to this specimen of 

 A. niger, I have two individuals that I can reconcile with neither 

 A. niger nor A. flagiaiiis. One of them I captured here on the wing 

 on Butts Lawn on the 8th of April last. It is, I believe, a male ; 

 extremely similar to A. niger, but rather flatter and with the interstices 

 of the elytra distinctly punctate, the head and thorax are more densely 

 punctate, the middle of the metasternum is much punctate but has no 

 hair, the tarsi are longer than in A. niqer. These characters do not 

 suit those assigned to the male of A. niger by Erichson ; moreover, 

 this example really has the basal margin of the thorax continued all 

 across. I have little doubt that it is a distinct species, but I cannot 

 find any description that will agree with it. A. 'pnraUelus, Muls., 

 must be very similar to this, but is said to have the spines on the 

 posterior tibia of inequal lengths. Eor this species Mulsant estab- 

 lished the sub-gen. Mecgnodes, and the New Forest insect seems to be 

 intermediate between NiaJus and Mecgnodes. A.parallelus (sfriafulus, 

 Waltl), according to Eeitter, is entirely confined to the south of 

 Europe. I have also an example found at Deal that differs from 

 A. plagiatus concolor by the metasternum being smooth in the 

 middle and the sculpture at its front angles obsolete. It thus 

 appears that we may have two or more species of this group in 

 England besides A. plagiatus and A. niger. The species are not found 

 in dung and probably all of them are rare as well as local. I hope 

 this note may contribute to the elucidation of the matter, and may 

 help Coleopterists to avoid some of the snares that exist in the 

 literature of these interesting insects. 



Brockenhurst : Mat/ 4th, 1909. 



