14 [June, 



Teiphleps obscueus (Cat., 52, 2), which Douglas and Scott have 

 described in Brit. Hem., 503, 2, cannot be the same as Rhynarius 

 ohscurus, Hahn ("W.-I., i, 110, fig. 59). It is clear from Hahn's de- 

 scription and figure that his species is synonymous with Tr.niger,yfoW, 

 Dougl. and Sc. I cite only the following words from the description 

 by Hahn, p. Ill : " die Fiisse schwarz mit Ausnahme der Spitzeu der 

 Schenkel und der Schienen des ersten Fusspam^es, welche hleichgelh 

 sind." Douglas and Scott say concerning Tr. niger, p. 502 : " Legs 

 black; tibiae: 1st pair only yellow;" and on the contrary in the 

 diagnoses of Tr. ohscurus, p. 503 : " Legs testaceous ; thighs : 3rd pair 

 in ^ brown ; 2ud and 3rd in $ black, except the apex." I have re- 

 ceived from Mr. Saunders specimens from England, which agree with 

 the description of Tr. ohscurus, by Douglas and Scott, and which I have 

 found belong to Tr. latus, Fieb. {sec. spec. typ.). But according to my 

 last examination of the Anthocoridod, Tr. latus, Fieb., is synonymous 

 with Tr. viinutus. Fall. Tr. minutus, of Fieber, do not occur, as far as 

 I know, in Sweden ; and, as Liune has described his Cimex minutus 

 in the Faun. Suec, 911, the name minutus must be employed for the 

 Swedish species, which is Tr. latus, Fieb. ; and the name Tr. minutus, 

 Fieb., nee Linn., Fall., must be changed. 



Mr. Saunders (Synops., p. 620, 2) regards Tr. ohscurus, Dougl. and 

 Sc.; as only a pale variety of Tr. niger ; but the description given by 

 Douglas and Scott is opposed to this supposition. They say, concerning 



Tr. ohscurus: "Antennae^ thin, almost filiform; in the ^ not much 



thicJcer than in the $ ;" which in no respect accords with Tr. niger. 



The three British species could best be distinguished by the 

 following characters : — 



1 (2.). Tlhe tioo posterior fairs of tlbicB ov &i\ea.6t the posterior tibise piceous 

 or almost black. Antennse in $ and $ dissimilar, $ thick. Pronotum posteriorly 

 aciculated and wrinkled, not punctured. 



Te. NIGER, Wolff. ( c? == com2)ressicornis, F. Sahib.) 



2 (1.). All the tibicB pale testaceous. Antennse in <? o)ifj/ a little thicker than 

 in ? , pale or only towards the apex fuscous. 



3 (4.). Pronotum with the sides toward the apex more rounded and extended 

 ( ? ), or almost straight, and only at the angles more rounded (c? ), in the anterior 

 two-thirds finely marginated ; the apical angles deflected and provided with afoveola 

 without any anterior border ; the apex between these angles, immediately behind 

 the narrow apical constriction (" apical-ring "), about three-fifths, almost one-half, 

 narrower than the base ; the disc with a I'ather narrow median callus, which occupies 

 only two-fourths of the width of the pronotum at this place, the lateral limb there- 

 fore being broad ; the disc behind the callus strongly and densely tvriiikled and 

 punctured, the punctuation on the middle and sides equal ; hemielytra pale testaceouSj 

 unicolorous, or only with the cuneus more or less piceous, more rarely also the base 

 of the clavus is of this colour. 



Tk. minuxus, Linn., Fall. (— latus, Fieb., = obscurus, D. et S.). 



