THE IDENTITY OF THE BRITISH NONAGRIA NEURICA. 33 



emphasises (Inc. cit., p. 319) the importance of morphological 

 characters in differentiating between closely allied species. 



The Coleoptera papers in the Transactions of the Entomological 

 Society of London for 1906 are comparatively few, but are of some 

 interest. Mr. Jacoby (1906, pt. i., p. 11), in a lengthy paper, entitled 

 " Descriptions of new Genera and Species of African I lalticinae and 

 Galerucinae," described no fewer than four new genera and sixty new 

 species. This paper is one which must be studied carefully by all who 

 are working at the coleopterous fauna of Africa. 



Dr. G. B. Longstaff, in a communication (loc. cit., p. 91) dealing 

 with some bionomic points in certain species of South African 

 lamellicorns, described observations he had made in the field during 

 his recent visit to South Africa, both in regard to certain mimetic 

 protective resemblances he had observed in some flower-frequenting 

 species, and also in regard to the probable value to the insect of the 

 exceedingly long hind legs, which are so characteristic of many South 

 African Hopliinae. 



In my "Retrospect for 1905," I briefly alluded to a paper by Mr. 

 A. M. Lea in the Transactions of the Ent. Soc. London (1905, p. 365) 

 on " The blind coleoptera of Australia and Tasmania." The author 

 states that there are only eight blind species at present known from 

 Australia and Tasmania, and curiously enough none of these are 

 found in caves. He gives notes of all the species, and it is inte- 

 resting to find that our well- known blind beetle, Anommatus 12- 

 striatus, Mull., was taken by Mr. Lea at Hobart, Tasmania, at the 

 roots of grass. 



Mr. F. Balfour Browne has published a second paper on his study 

 of the " Aquatic Coleoptera and their surroundings in the Norfolk 

 Broads " (Transactions Norfolk and Norwich Entomologists' Society, 

 viii), and, like the first paper, it is one of very high bionomic interest 

 and value to students of British water- beetles. I have not yet had an 

 opportunity of studying this paper in detail, and must reserve therefore 

 my comments upon it for the present. 



The 29th (1905) Annual Report and Proceedings of the Lancashire 

 ami ( 'heshire Entomological Society contains three papers of much 

 interest to coleopterists, viz., the Vice-Presidential Address of 

 Mr. H. St. J. Donisthorpe, the main subject of which was the 

 myrmecophilous coleoptera of Great Britain ; " Notes on Manx 

 Coleoptera," by Mr. J. R. Tomlin, with very full lists of the species 

 which have been taken on the island ; and, lastly, " Notes on 

 the birth and infancy of Dytiscus punctulatus" F., by Mr. E. J. 

 Burgess Sopp. The society is to be congratulated on the excellence 

 of its papers, and on the good work it is doing in stimulating interest 

 in the fauna of the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire. 



The year which has just closed has not been quite such a fruitful 

 one as 1905, nevertheless good work has been done, but the number 

 of earnest workers must be larger if we are to increase in a satisfactory 

 way from year to year the scientific knowledge of our beetle fauna. 



The Identity of the British Nonagria neurica [with plate). 



By H. M. EDELSTEN, F.E.S. 

 (Continued from p. 4.) 

 Guenee refers (Histoire Ndturelle des Tnsectes, Noctuelites, i., p. 106), 



