1886.] 226 



according to M. de Barneville. It is less bulky, narrower, and 

 more convex than O. quercus, with the elytra strongly punctate- 

 striate (the punctuations being rather distant) and always entirely 

 blood-red in colour. It seems to be not uncommon near Paris ; 

 being found on oak, elm, &c. 



b. — Sody hairless. 

 O. scutellaris, Fab. 



B. — Insect with a black head ; the rostrum, also, heing either 

 entirely or partially of that colour. 



0. alni, Linn. 



O. mutahilis, Schon. (Siberia). 



O.ferrugineus, Marsh, (melanocephalm, Oliv.). M. de Barneville gives 

 the following distinctive characters for this insect as compared with 

 alni, to which it is sometimes referred by beginners as a variety, 

 on account of its resemblance in form and colour. The apex of 

 the rostrum is more or less testaceous, the light colour seldom ex- 

 tending further upwards than the middle, and the rostrum being 

 sometimes almost entirely black. The elytra are unspotted. The 

 three apical segments of the abdomen beneath are more widely 

 bordered with reddish-testaceous, the entire segments being some- 

 times entirely of that colour. The legs are testaceous or reddish- 

 testaceous, with the knees and base of the femora more or less 

 black, 



C. — nostrum, head and thorax entirely hlacJc. 



0. semirufus, Gyll. "Tres-rare, Suede, Angleterre. — (Coll, Chevrolat), 

 — Allemagne." It is not easy to decide from this notice whether 

 M, Chevrolat's specimens are from Sweden or England, In the 

 absence of a distinct understanding upon this point we must fall 

 back upon M. de Barneville's synonymy as aflFording a possible clue 

 to the reference of this species to our country. 



M. de Barneville refers, after Gyllenhal, to Stephen's Brit, 

 Ent. and Man. ; but Mr. Walton has long ago (Cat. Brit. Rhynch., 

 B.M.) shown that the semirufus of Stephen's Coll, is nothing but 

 a var. of quercus. Stephens, of course, more suo, transcribed the 

 right description from its author, and represented it by the nearest 

 approach to it that he could find. Besides th^ type form, M. de 

 Barneville supposes (but with doubt) a var. of this species to be 

 the nigricollis of Marsham and Stephens ; but Mr. Walton has 

 also shown that the latter insect is nothing but melanocejphalus, 

 Oliv. 



