134 . fJ"'^^' 



STENOCEPHALUS MEDIUS, M. et. E. : 

 AN ADDITION TO THE LIST OF BRITISH HEMIPTERA. 



BY E. A. BUTLER, B.A., B.Sc, F.E.S. 



The genus 8tenocephalu>< contains upwards of a dozen Palaearctic 

 species, but. only two of these have been inchided in the published 

 British lists, viz., 8. agilis, Scop., and 8. aJbi2)es, F. (= neglectvs, H.-S.) ; 

 a third species, however, 8. meclivs, M. and R., has long existed in our 

 collections, though hitherto without recognition. From our other two 

 species it may easily be distinguished by the following characteristics: 

 Its average size is smaller and the body is proportionately broader 

 behind ; the legs and antennae are shorter ; the basal joint of the 

 latter is shorter and stouter, the basal yellow ring on the apical joint 

 is smaller, and the proximal dark ring on the second joint is obscure 

 and brownish ; the hairs on the legs are short and far less conspicuous ; 

 the rostrum is longer and reaches the posterior coxae. The greater 

 length of the rostrinn in this smaller and shorter-legged species is a 

 curious fact, and it would be interesting to know whether there is 

 any difference in the method of feeding to account for the altered 

 proportions. 



In PI. V of Saunders' " Hemiptera-Heteroptera of the British 

 Islands," fig. 5 more nearly represents *S^. medius than 8. agilis ; for 

 the latter the autennse and legs shoidd be longer, and the hairs much 

 longer and more numerous. The measurement given is that of 

 8. agilis. 



Of ;S'. medius I have two specimens which I took at Maidenhead 

 Thicket on August 8th, 1893 (see Ent. Mo. Mag., vol. xxxi, p. TQ) ■ 

 Mr. Champion has several from Darenth Wood, Mr. W. West has one 

 also, and there are some from the same locality in the Power Collec- 

 tion in the British Museum ; Commander Walker has talven speci- 

 mens at Wytham Park, Oxfordshire, one of which is now in the 

 collection of Mr. J. Collins, and another is, I believe, in the Bury 

 St. Edmund's Museum; Mr. W. Holland has two from Bulmershe, 

 Berks, and Mr. C. Morley also has one example. I am greatly 

 indebted to the above gentlemen, as well as to Mr. J. Edwards and 

 Mr. J. H. Keys, who have all kindly submitted to me their British 

 specimens of this genus. So far as I have been able to verify them, 

 8. agilis seems to be with us entirely a littoral insect, occurring where 

 species of Euphorbia grow on the south coasts of both England and 

 Wales, while 8. medius, as the above records show, occurs inland. 



