42 THE ENTOMOLOCilST's KECOKD. 



Bledius crassicollis, Lac, and Bledius occidentalis, Bond. 



By W. E. SHARP, F.E.S. 



Mr. Donisthorpe recently drew my attention to the fact that the insect, 

 known in our collections as JJlediiis craasinillifi, Lac, was probably 

 incorrectly named, and indistinguishable from a Jllcilins; described^ by 

 M. J. Bondroit as B. orc'ulentaiiii. Subsequent correspondence with, 

 and inspection of specimens kindly communicated to me by that 

 authority confirm this view, and there remains litLle doubt but that the 

 ii. cransicidiis, Brit. Colls., should be relabelled JJ. uccidentalis, Bond. 

 This insect has always been rare and extremely local in this country,, 

 and, as far as I am aware, has only been taken in a few restricted 

 sandy localities on the coast of Kent and Sussex, and at Wicken fen. 

 In the first-named locality a considerable nuujber of specimens have- 

 been taken by Mr. W. H. Bennett, Mr. Donisthorpe and others, and 

 from these localities most of the examples existing in our collections- 

 are derived. At Wicken fen specimens have been captured by Professor 

 Hudson Beare and myself. Mr. E. A. Butler has taken it at Gorton,, 

 in Suffolk. Of the true Ji. crassiadliti, Lac, I have been unable to 

 discover an example among all the specimens standing over that name 

 which J have had the opportunity of examining. It may, however, 

 exist in other collections, and in view of the number of species of the 

 genus recently added to the British list, the assertion that any 

 particular Bledius did not occur in this country would seem somewhat 

 rash. 



The characters which distinguish these two species are easily 

 appreciable, and may be stated as follows : — 



Vertex of head distinctly punctured. Thorax, parallel sided with posterior 

 angles obliquely sloped, more coarsely alutaceous and less dull, punctuation less 



close. Hind body more shiny. Ventral spines in ^ less pointed 



B. occidentalis, Bond. 



Vertex of head almost impunctate. Thorax, somewhat narrowed behind 

 with posterior angles obliquely sloped, duller and more finely alutaceous, 

 punctuation closer. Hind body duller. Ventral spines in s more sharply pointed. 



B. crassicollis, Lac. 



In colour, size, pubescence, &c., the two species strongly resemble 

 each other. M. Bondroit took the type specimens of B. occidentalis 

 among the sandhills of Zwijn, in Holland, a locality similar to that in 

 which the species occurs at Deal and Camber. 



Some Notes on the Genus Myrniica, Latr. 



(IVith. one plate and several woudculs.) 



By H. St. J. K. DONISTHORPE, F.Z.S., F.E.S. 

 [Concluded from page 8.) 



3. Myrmica sulcinodis, Nyl., Acta soc sc. Fennicse, ii., 3, 1846, 

 p. 934. ^ ? . 



Mi/niiica perelef/cDis, Curtis, Trans. Linn. Hoc, xxi., 1854, p. 214. 



1 Annales de la Soc. Ent. de Beige, 11., p. 24.5, (1907). 



