108 



DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BRITISH SPECIES OF STENUS. 



BY E. C. BYE. 



(Concluded from page 92.) 



(penultimate joint of tarsi bilohed.} 



(abdomen margined.) 

 Eeichsoni. Janson, M.S.S* 



flavipes, Erichson, nee Stephen?. 



If lin. Shining black, rather depressed, strongly but not closely 

 punctured ; legs, palpi, and antennse testaceous yellow, the latter with 

 the club brownish. Head considerably wider than the thorax ; the eyes 

 very large. Thorax rounded at the sides, strongly contracted behind, 

 with an obsolete dorsal channel. Elytra scarcely, if ^at all, longer than 

 the thorax, with the shoulders much contracted. Abdomen broad, but 

 considerably narrowed at the apex, and broadly margined. 



Cumb. (rare) ; Falkirk, Bungay, Eepton. In moss near Croydon. 



ETJSCICOENIS, Erichson. Usually about 1| lin., but varying some- 

 what in size. Black, rather shining ; legs pitchy-red, with the apex of 

 the femora and the tibiae more or less pitchy-black. Antennse and 

 palpi pitchy-brown, the latter with the basal joint testaceous. More 

 cylindrical than S. Erichsoni, and presenting a great resemblance in 

 size, punctuation, and general facies to S. fuseipes in the first section, 

 from which it may be known by the elongate joints of its tarsi, (espe- 

 cially by the basal joint of the hinder pair.) The tarsi of this species 

 m\ist be gummed down very flat and evenly, and with little gum, in 

 order to see the bilobed structure. 



Hammersmith, Combe Wood, Dulwich, Purley Downs, and 

 Charlton. Usually in moss or leaves in woods. 



PALTJSTEis, Erichson. Somewhat similar to S. Erichsoni in size, 

 punctuation, and build, (though generally a little larger), but narrower 

 and duller, not so flat ; the legs stouter, dark testaceous, with the apex of 

 the femora broadly pitchy-brown, and the tibiae sufl'used with pitchy ; 

 the antennae pitchy-red, with the club pitchy, and the palpi testaceous, 

 with the apical joiut pitchy. The elytra, also, although quite as short, 

 are not so contracted at the shoulders. The fourth joint of the tarsi 

 is strongly bilobed. 



Most abundant in Wicken Fen ; also foimd at Horning. 



* Mr. Janson lias made this change in accordance with the recognized laws of nomenclature, solely 

 in consequence of the wnma flavipes havinp been used in the genus before the date of Erichson's work. 

 I need scarcely add that its publication by me must not be construed as an admission, by Mr. Janson, 

 of the stability of the species to which that name was originally applied, or of any other of the Ste- 

 phensian species. 



