122 [March, 



and pi'onotum are dark brown, the latter crossed by a pale median line ; the 

 second and third thoracic segments, as well as the first eight abdominal 

 segments, bear several brown setigerous tnbercules of various sizes ; the last 

 abdominal segment is deep brown or black, and fring-ed with pale setae ; the 

 general colour is green. The pupa is yellow and is to be foimd in a small cell 

 in the soil around the affected plants." P. sinuata is said to be often associated 

 with P. vittata F. Its distribution in the United States was recorded by 

 Dr. Horn in 1889. According to Sanderson, the larvae also mine the leaves of 

 wild pepper-grass {Lepidium virginirum). The Eev. W. W. Fowler has, diu'ing 

 recent years, found P. sinuaia in abundance on turnips in Ctxmberland, associated 

 with P. undulata (cf. Ent. Mo. Mag., 1912, p. 286). Our most destructive 

 turnip-flea, however, is P. nemomni. — Eds. 



The British species of Haliplus. — I should like to make one or two remarks 

 as to Mr. Balfour Browne's valuable and interesting paper referred to by the 

 Editors in the last number of this Magazine. He considers H. apicalis Th. to 

 be the same as H. striatus Sh., giving the former name priority, and remarking 

 that he does not know whether I had seen Thomson's description when I made 

 mine. To that I can reply that I had not seen Thomson's description, but that 

 had I done so I should not have withheld my own because the two do not agree. 

 He assigns the date 1867 to Thomson's description, though the book bears on 

 the title-page 1868 in large figures. It was not noticed in the " Zoological 

 Eecord" till 1871 (Vol. VII, 1870), or more probably till 1872. As, however, 

 my description did not appear till September, 1869, it is possible that Thomson 

 has priority (though as a subscriber to his works I can say that they were 

 usually behind their date), but I could not be expected to have seen it, even if it 

 be really prior. 



Now as regards the identification of H. apicalis Thomson. That author did 

 not know (nor did anyone at that time) the difficulties attending the 

 delimitation of these species, and his description is not decisive till the end, 

 when the following occurs : — " Obs. Forma intermedia inter H. lineatocollem et 

 Jluviatilem, ab hoc coleopteris apice ovali-rotiindatis, punctis in striis nigris 

 minus profundis sed magis approximatis, antennis brevioribus, articulo iiltimo 

 fere toto nigrof usco, penultimo fere transverse discedens." These words do not 

 agree with any Haliplus known to me. 



Mr Browne frankly states that he makes the identification on the ground 

 that Reitter and Ganglbauer both sent him specimens of striatus under the 

 name of apicalis Th. Neither ,of these distinguished entomologists is an 

 authority on this groxip— both, in fact, have meddled Avith it and muddled, and 

 Mr. Browne had better have relied on his own opinion. It is certainly doubtful 

 whether apicalis is striatxt,s, nomax, or a Swedish allied species, and I think it 

 cannot be settled till an examination of Thomson's types is made. 



As Mr. Balfour Browne says in his paper, I differ from him as to H. nomax 

 and browneanus. Although the two have a widely different distribution, he 

 considers the latter only a variety on the ground that the aedeagus is similar 



