OOLEOPTERA. 3$6 



ilfOLEOPTERA. 



Notes on coleoptera taken during the year 1902 i\ the South- 

 port DISTRICT. — In spite of climatic conditions, apparently adverse — a 

 cold wet spring and persistent sunlessness — the season's collecting 

 has been, on the whole, very productive of noteworthy species. It is 

 hoped that the following list may be of some interest as a contribution 

 to local faunistic work, and to this end certain species have been in- 

 cluded which, although not accounted rare, are, nevertheless, little 

 known in the south Lancashire and Cheshire district. Such species 

 as have not been previously recorded are indicated by a prefixed 

 asterisk. I was unable to commence collecting before the end of April, 

 when, despite the weather, beetles were well in evidence. It will, 

 however, facilitate the collation of my notes if I arrange the species 

 in their taxonomic sequence instead of noticing them in the order of 

 their appearance. Uarpalm iiei/lectus, D., during the months of May 

 and June was rather less rare than usual. PterostichKs ininor, Gyll., 

 usually rare in the south Lancashire district, was abundant. '''Bcmbi- 

 diiuii, clarki, Daws., was discovered amongst wet moss, Birkdale sand- 

 hills. Of ■■'■Oc/ithebius marinns, Pk., a single specimen was swept one 

 evening in June from damp herbage on the Southport foreshore. Three 

 examples of Mi/nncilnnia l/ni.bata, Pk., were taken in April crawling on 

 the sandhills ; an ant was in the act of carrying olf one of tiiese. 

 * Romalota crilis, Er., occurred in profusion in Hood refuse from the 

 Birkdale sandhills, May 3rd. '''Habrocfrua capillar icornis, Gr., is one 

 of the southern-ranging species which from time to time unexpectedly 

 turn up in the district ; the specimen was shaken from powdery fungus 

 and leaves in a wood behind Scarisbrick Hall. Phytosus nif/riventris, 

 Chevr., was, as usual, common on the shore during the autumn. Quedius 

 cruentun, 01., and its var. vire)is, Eottb., Q. jnUjidus, F., and Q. ohlite- 

 ratus, Er. { = si(tnralis, Cox ; Fowler in part), have all been unusually 

 plentiful in heaps of cut grass and straw during the summer. Two 

 specimens of '''Mi/cetoporus aiv/idaris, Key., were taken in April on the 

 Birkdale sandhills. Of Staplti/liniifi stercorariii.'i, 01., always a rare 

 species in the district, Mr. Sopp took a specimen in August, another 

 being captured by myself in September. Ocypus brnnnipi's, F., for 

 some obscure reason, was in evidence for two or three days only at the 

 end of August. L'Idlonthas nilcans, Grav., was, as usual, abundant on 

 the Birkdale sandhills along with Actobitis d<jnaticornis, Key. Durin^ 

 July several specimens of Actobius proceiulus, Grav., were taken, and 

 in the following month ''^ Leptavinm pannnpanctatns, Gyll., turned up. 

 ■^Lathmbiuin loni/iiluni, Grav., occurred during July and August, the 

 first specimen being shaken out of a deserted bird's nest; L. quadratuw, 

 Payk., was captured at the roots of reeds. Medon obaoletm, Nord., was 

 abundant, cis it has been for the last two years, in a habitat now 

 destroyed, so that for the future it will probably bo taken rarely, as, 

 though generally distributed throughout the district, it is very rare. 

 ■""Blediits loni/iUus, Er., and 'B. opacm, Block., are two decidedly rare 

 species with us of which very few specimens occur annually. Tro(fo- 

 p/doeiis rividariN, Mots., T. cuiticinus, Grav., and -'T. piisillus, Grav., 

 were taken in flood refuse from the Birkdale sandhills, May 3rd. This 

 material yielded a most interesting species — ''Thinobiuti brevipcnnU, 

 Kips. During a stay of a few days Mr. Tomlin discovered Troqo- 



