270 [December, 



specimen from Sumatra sent him by M. Fauvel, with which it 

 perfectly agrees. Superficially the species is as much like a Sipalia 

 as any of our genera, but is more robust and broader than either 

 of our members of that genus, with more convex elytra, and it is 

 much more shining. 



The following is a short description of the insect: — 



Light castaneous, with tho head, apical portion of elytra, and extremity of 

 hind body darker ; antennae stout, strongly thickened at apex, apical joints 

 transverse ; head very transverse, and as broad as thorax ; thorax strongly 

 transverse, with all the angles rounded, very finely and densely punctured, with 

 a strong impression at the base ; elytra quadrate, rather wider than, and punctured 

 similarly to, the thorax ; hind body subparallel, exceedingly finely punctured. 



L. 2\ mm. 



Mulsant and Rey describe what appears to be the same species 

 as a member of the French fauna under the name ot" Diestota mayeti, 

 and after a lengthy detailed account of it (see Opusc. Ent. xiv, p. 196, 

 1S70), add — " Patrie. Cette petite espece a ete decouverte aux 

 environs de Cette sur les Cistes, par M. Valery IMayet a qui nous 

 nous permettons de la dedier, &c." In the arrangement of these 

 authors the genus Diestota is placed between Qyrophiena and 

 Placusa, but in the last European catalogue (He} den, Reitier, and 

 Weise, 1906), its position is between Placusa and Epipeda. Although 

 the species has thus been recorded from the South of France, and 

 may conceivably be established there, I should certainly, in the 

 present state of our ignorance as to its range, be very unwilling to 

 propose its infliction as an " addition " to our long suffering " British 

 list." Its occurrence, however, in England seems sufiiciently interesting 

 to record in some detail, and although it may be diiEcult to conjecture 

 the exact method of its transplantation to the hills of Surrey, if it be 

 indeed an alien, yet the fact that the locality of its capture is less 

 than fifteen miles from one of the chief gates of the merchandize 

 of all the world cannot be without significance.* Dr. Sharp, it may 

 be stated, has described numerous species of the same genus from 

 Central and South America, and the Hawaiian Islands. 



9, Queen's Koad, South Norwood, S,E. : 

 November 2nd, 1909. 



* I once took Murmidiui ovalis at Shirley, in rubbish thrown out from g-ardens on to the 

 Common.— G. C. C. s, - 



