THE BRITISH SPECIES OF THE GENUS PHILYDRUS, SOLIER. 27 



to be the nature of the punctuation of the upper- surface, but especially 

 of the scutellam. In these two species, as in the case of testacens and 

 melanncejihahiR, as a rule, there is no difficulty in allocating individuals; 

 foarctatus is usuall}' lighter in colour and broader in shape than iiiinutnx, 

 and in the typical examples Fowler's characters generally — but not 

 always — hold good. After examining betAveen 50 and 60 specimens 

 and separating them into two groups according to the coarser or finer 

 punctuation of the scutellum — as seen under the microscope — I found 

 that all the typical caarctatus fell into the one group with finer 

 punctuation and all the typical in in at ux into the other with coarser 

 punctuation. 



I would therefore separate the six species according to the following 

 characters : — 



1. Elytra with indistinct traces of three punctured striae on each. Tarsal 



claws of cf with transversely striated large tooth . . . . . . 2 



Elytra without traces (or at most with a few large punctures) of striae. 

 Tarsal claws of t? with slightly smaller tooth not transversely 

 striated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 



2. Tarsal claws of <^ longer. Head, clypeus, and maxillary palpi entirely 



testaceous .. .. .. .. .. =mabitij!US, Thorns. 



Tarsal claws of j shorter. Head black, clypeus black or testaceous . . 3 



3. Punctuation of uppersurface finer. Second segment of maxillary palpi 



dark. General colour of upper surface lighter. Clypeus usually 

 testaceous .. .. .. .. .. .. =testaceus, F. 



Punctuation of upper surface coarser. Second segment of maxillary palpi 

 usually light. General colour of upper surface usually darker. 

 Clypeus generally black (but may be more or less testaceous) 



= MELANOCEPHALUS, 01. 



4. Size larger (5mm. -5^mm.). Anterior claw on anterior tarsi of j with 



tooth about half the length of claw. No dark suture to elytra . . 



= NIGRICANS, Zett. 

 Size smaller (3^mm-4mm.). Anterior claw on anterior tarsi of <r with 

 very small tooth. Elytra usually with dark suture . . . . 5 



5 Punctuation of scutellum coarser. Size usually smaller, and shape 

 narrower. Colour generally darker. Clypeus generally black, 

 but may have a yellow spot on either side . . . . =mindtus, F. 



Punctuation of scutellum finer. Size usually larger, and shape broader. 

 Colour generally lighter. Clypeus generally (always?) with a 

 yellow spot at each side .. .. .. =coarctatos, Credl. 



With regard to the distribixtion of these species in Britain, the 

 records are at present not verj^ numerous, but certain points seem to 

 stand out. 



Both textari'iiK and iiiaritiinus show a decided southern distribution. 

 There is one Scottish record for the former (S. Aberdeen, Murray, 

 1853), but Dr. Sharp does not include it in his " Coleoptera of 

 Scotland" 1871-8. This species occurs at Chaloner's Whin, York 

 (Yorks mid-W. district) and is also recorded for south Lancashire, but 

 these are the most northern records I can find, and the insect is certainly 

 commoner farther south. Similarly nian'tinins is common in the 8.E. 

 of England and in East Anglia but does not occur in the north or west. 

 The Southport record, mentioned by Fowler, has been dropped in 

 more recent Lancashire lists, and the only othei- north of England 

 records are the specimen at Greatham, Durham, many years ago, and 

 a record for Eston l\Larsh (Yorks N.E. district) in 1901. Other 

 southern species, such as Hi/ilatims trdnairrsalis, and l^elohiiis tardus, 

 Herbst, are recorded as far north as Y'orkshire, but this seems to be 

 about the northern limit of distribution of the southern group. I 



