COLEOPTERA. 



293 



some years ago. The insect was found again in some numbers in a 

 new locality. Other things taken were Malt/wde^ atoniiifi, Nenrapfiefi 

 aparshalli var. niinutus, Hypoci/ptus <<e)nmidus, etc. The search for 

 Dibnlia njnoiilosd at Pevensey this year proved successful, the beetle 

 being swept in some numbers off (ialeopsis ladaniiiii. var. ranesrem. It 

 does not occur on Ci/uonloftinnii o/firiitale in this country. I then went 

 to stay with my friend, Mr. Boaskell, at Market Bosworth, when a visit 

 to Buddon Wood, where Dr. Barrow joined ns, produced a series of 

 Trachodes hispidns off oak-twigs on the ground, and I took a specimen of 

 Prionnnjphon .'^enirornis. Cut grass in Mr. Bouskell's garden produced 

 Monotnina picipes, M. loiu/lcullis, and M. apinicnlUs in some numbers, the 

 latter being an addition to the county list. Whilst at Bournemouth, 

 in early September, I went to Parley Heath with Mr. -Jackson, as last 

 year I took Pksodes notatns at the other end of the heath, and we beat 

 a series out of young fir-trees. Studland produced Aphaniftticifs pusilliia 

 and Siiniiis jiliforwia under refuse. On September 14th I went to 

 Oxford to meet Commander Walker and to collect in that district with 

 him. Apinn schunlierri was plentiful and^p/o« mnfpn'ueuiii and^. nibeus 

 were also swept more sparingly. I was fortunate enough to sweep a 

 specimen of the very rare A. laeviiiatiini, the second specimen taken in 

 the district, also Anisotoina trci'iikri S and 2 , and Tlialamja sericea, 

 both new to the district I believe. This brings us down to the middle 

 of September and we may now consider the best of the collecting is 

 over. — -H. St. J. K. Donisthorpe, 58, Kensington Mansions, S.W. 



PtEROSTICHUS PARUMPUNCTATUS, GeR. A HELP TO ITS IDENTIFICATION 



IN THE FIELD. — An idea seems prevalent among our local entomologists 

 that P. parnmpunctatm, Ger., is so closely related to other Pterostichi 

 as to be most difficult to separate. This is not so, and having had 

 the good fortune to meet with it in fair profusion, perhaps a note on the 

 subject may be useful. The two very common species niiiev, Schal., 

 and cKhjaris, L., are the only ones with which it could be possibly 

 confused. P. panimpunrtatits is an apterous species, the legs (in uii/er 

 and nihjans, black) are brownish-black, the posterior angles of thorax 

 (in ndiiaris, blunt) are right-angles, whilst the central thoracic furrow 

 and oblong depressions on each side of the same are obviously much 

 more deeply impressed than in either of the other species ; the elytra are 

 shining-black — in some lights showing strongly iridescent — and the 

 three impressions on third interstice of each elytron are plainly visible 

 without a glass. The male possesses a longitudinal keel on the last 

 ventral segment. These rough characters at once distinguish P. 

 paninijinnrtatiis, which is placed in a subgenus of its own on the 

 strength of somewhat peculiar subgeneric characters. Now, as to the 

 so-called closely allied species, /'. nit/er may at once be dismissed, as it 

 is a much larger and more oblong insect, with elytra always of a dull- 

 black colour, whilst /'. nilf/aris has the last abdominal segment simple in 

 both sexes, characters which easily separate these from the extremely 

 local /', paniiiiptoirtatits. Nearly all Bold's localities have vanished — ■ 

 succumbed to the strides of civilisation. i\Ir. Corder has, however, 

 taken P. panunpunctatKs at Sunderland recently, but, in that locality, the 

 species seems to be dying out, the examples taken during the last two 

 years being much below the average in size. In October, 1904, and 

 again in April of this year, 1 took a few examples from a Dene, near 

 Winlaton, and at Gibside in early June, a few more were met with. 



