288 THE entomologist's record. 



Tetropium castaneum, L. — A species of Longicorn Coleoptera 

 new to Britain. 



By FKANK BOUSKELL, F.E.S., F.R.H.S. 



On June 15th last, I was collecting coleoptera in a wood in the Market 

 Bosworth district of Leicestershire, with the Eev. A. R. Birkenhead, 

 and discovered a fir-tree badly infested by longicorn larvte almost up 

 to the top. After some work at the bark, larvae were found in various 

 stages, also three pupte and two imagines of a longicorn new to me, 

 which proved, on examination at the British Museum, to be Tetropium 

 castaneinii, L. Unfortunately, during my absence in Ireland on an 

 entomological trip, the pupa? all hatched out crippled imagines. The 

 colony has every appearance of having been established for many years, 

 and the plantation would date back about 200 years. It is miles away 

 from any timber which I can trace as being imported, and it is in 

 the heart of a purely agricultural district where local timber is used. 

 Through its attacking the trees at such a height it may possibly have 

 been overlooked. 



The synonymy of the species is as follows : — Genus : Tftrojnum, 

 li'why {('rioiiiorphiis, Mulsant). Species: Castanetiin,!^., Fn. Sc, 192. 

 Luriduw, L., L. T. 74. Mulsant describes it as follows : — " Dessous 

 du corps, tete et prothorax noir; celui-ci poin telle; en general peu 

 profondement canalicule. Ecusson canalicule. Elytres deux fois 

 et demie environ aussi longues qu'elles sont larges prises ensemble ; 

 chargees de deux faibles lignes longitudinales elevees." 



The elytra are either black or ferruginous. It can be distinguished 

 from the allied species T. fuscnvi, Fabr., of which a single specimen 

 was taken by Dr. Sharp on June 24th last, in the New Forest {Knt. 

 Mo. Ma(j., August, 1903, p. 198), by the disc of the thorax being much 

 smoother and more shining. The British Museum specimens of T. fiiscinn 

 also have a greyish patch at the base of the elytra, which does not 

 occur in their reddish specimens of T. castaiieinii. Mulsant does not 

 recognise T. fiiscmii as a species, but treats it as a variety of T. casta- 

 vcHHi, and, certainly, except for the punctuation of the thorax, there 

 would appear to be no distinction. Unfortunately all my specimens 

 were black. Both species feed under the bark of pines and firs 

 according to Mulsant. The question as to whether T. fnscum is a 

 variety or not, is, therefore, by no means free from doubt. T. casta- 

 neum is found in the Alps and other mountains of Eastern and Central 

 Europe, and has been recorded from France, Germany, Switzerland 

 and Austria. 



:iiiOTES ON COLLECTING, Etc. 



Note on a Habit of Male Filonia brunneata. — On the afternoon of 

 August 12th, 1903, whilst walking down from Arollato Evolene, in the 

 pinewood between Satarme and Hauderes, the males of Fidunia hrnn- 

 neata were somewhat common, but rather worn. They were observed 

 in some numbers sitting on the mules' dung in the roadway, some- 

 times as many as three being quite close together within the space of 

 two or three square inches. It is a habit well known in many butter- 

 flies, but quite new to me, at any rate, in Fidonia brunneata. — J. W. 

 Tutt. 



Note on a Habit of Male Porthetria dispar. — There was a 



