240 (October, 



On Otiorrhynchus tenebricosus and O. fuscipes. — In view of the uncertainty 

 which must attend any attempt to discriminate with accuracy between these two 

 species by means of the characters laid down for them in our English text books, 

 and the consequent liability to error in records of their distribution, it may be well 

 to draw attention to the fact that the males at least are readily distinguishable by 

 the following characters : — 



Legs piceous or black ; last ventral segment with a transverse series of longitu- 

 dinal striae placed twice as closely at the sides as in the middle... 



tenebricosus, Herbst. 



Legs red, knees and tarsi black ; last ventral segment with the longitudinal 

 striae practically equidistant throughout the series fuscipes, Walt. 



The differences in the relative proportions of the joints of the funiculus appear 

 to me too difficult of appreciation to be of much use for taxonomic purposes. 



My acquaintance with O. tenebricosus, though sufficient for the present purpose, 

 is limited ; 1 only have it from the neighbourhood of Dover, where I took it com- 

 monly in April, 1876 ; 0. fuscipes is common here ; neither species so far as I know 

 occurs in Norfolk. Whether the name fuscipes, Walt., is correctly applied to the 

 insect mentioned above is not altogether clear. Many years ago there was much 

 discussion of this matter between E. C. Rye and F. Smith ; the former seeking to 

 show that the O. fuscipes of Walton was nothing but O. tenebricosus, the latter 

 maintaining that (J. fuscipes, Walt., was a distinct species, and the same as O. 

 fuscipes, 01. I am not, aware that the question has ever been satisfactorily settled, 

 but it is clear that we have two well-ascertained species, whatever may be their 

 correct names (cf. Rye, Ent. Mo. Mag., ii, pp. 181, 233; Ent. Ann., 1867, p. 120; 

 Smith, Ent. Mo. Mag., ii, p. 232).— J. Edwards, Colesborne, Cheltenham : Sep- 

 tember llth, 1902. 



Bagous lutosus, Gyll., a British insect. — In looking through a useful resume 

 by Mr. Newbery, of what is known about the British species of this genus (Ent. 

 Rec, xiv, pp. 149 — 156, June, 1902), 1 found the above species excluded, apparently 

 on the ground that neither the author nor Mr. Champion had seen a British speci- 

 men possessing the characters proper to lutosus, Gyll. As I had included the latter 

 in my lists of Norfolk Coleoptera (Trans. Norfolk and Norwich Nat. Soc, v, p. 

 488; Victoria History of Norfolk, i, p. 134), 1 thought it well to re-examine my 

 material in order to make quite sure that I had not misinterpreted the descriptions 

 given in Cox's Handbook and Fowler's Col. Brit. Islands. 1 find that my single 

 example taken on Wrelham Heath, Norfolk, August 4th, 1890, exhibits the dis- 

 tinctive characters given for B. lutosus, Gyll., in the works named, and also by 

 Mr. Champion (Ent. Mo. Mag., xxxiv, pp. 52 — 54). The sudden narrowing and 

 subsequent production of the apical portion of the elytra is very evident and 

 characteristic. Moreover, by the kindness of Mr. Champion, 1 have been enabled 

 to compare my specimen with his Swedish example of B. lutosus, ex coll. Thomson 

 (believed to have come from Gyllenhal himself), and a specimen sent by Mr. 

 Walker from Besika Bay ; except that the sutural stria is not so conspicuously 

 deeper than the remainder, it agrees ad punctum with the former and very well with 

 the latter. Mr. Champion also sent me his specimen of what is known as the 

 large form of B. glabrirostris ; this insect is at least one half larger than normal 



