56 THE entomologist's record. 



Euplectus bescidicus, Reitt. : A New British Beetle. 



By NORMAN H. JOY, M.R.C.S., F.E.S. 



A short time ago Mr. C. J. C. Pool sent me for identification an 

 Euplectus, which he was unable to name, as it was not represented in 

 the Power collection. It proved to belong to the section of the genus 

 which is distinguished by having the raised border on each side of the 

 depressed area, in the middle of the base of the two first visible dorsal 

 segments, reaching, at least, to the middle, and which contains the 

 two British species — E. kunzei, Aube ; and E. duponti, Aube. From 

 the description of the (? characters I identified it as E. bescidicus, 

 Eeitt., and was able to confirm this by comparing it with a specimen 

 of this species in the Bates' collection (kindly lent to me by Mr. 

 Donisthorpe), which had been identified by Herr Eeitter some time 

 ago. 



Ganglbauer compares E. bescidicus with E. duponti, from which it 

 differs in being smaller (L. l-5mm.) ; the antennae are longer, the last 

 joint especially so ; the head is smooth between the frontal furrows ; 

 the central furrow of the thorax is shorter ; the dorsal strife of the 

 elytra are shorter, and do not reach the middle ; the two depressed 

 areas on the abdomen are wider, occupying about one-third of the 

 breadth of the segments ; and the ^ characters are different. In the 

 (? the ventral segments are flattened and the penultimate has a small 

 fovea in the middle. The only locality given is "In den Beskiden " 

 (Lissa Hora, Paskau). 



Mr. Pool has taken five specimens at Enfield under fir bark, and 

 one under elm bark. The two specimens in the Bates' collection are 

 from Lawson's collection, taken by him at Scarborough. 



Midland Myrmecophilous notes for 1907. 



By H. WILLOUGHBY ELLIS, F.Z.S., F.E.S. , and A. H. MARTINEAU, F.E.S. 



We have been working ants' nests together since March, 1907, and, 

 although neither of us has had the leisure to work out the whole of 

 our captures taken by this means, the following were certainly taken 

 during the year just closed. 



Formica sanguinea, Ltr. — Several nests of this rare ant were found 

 in thriving condition at Bewdley on April 1st. The occurrence of this 

 species was recorded in the T ictoria County History of Worcestershire 

 and was taken as long ago as 1893; in addition to the usual E. fusca 

 we found Myrmica sulcinodis and 21. scabrinodis in the nests. 



FoRMicoxENus NiTiDULus, Mayr. — This little species was found in 

 great numbers, ? s and $ s, in nests of Formica rufa, at Knowle, in 

 April, May, and June. It occurred chiefly in the driest parts of the nest, 

 small portions as large only as a walnut, when broken open would 

 yield upwards of a dozen specimens, and, in the latter months, larvffi 

 and pupae were plentiful. We were unable to work these nests later 

 in the year, when the <? s would occur. We have taken this species 

 regularly now for some years past, but never so abundantly before. 

 As pointed out by Mr. Donisthorpe, 1906 was a good year for this ant, 

 and, in our experience, 1907 was even better. It is gratifying to find it 

 so well established in the Midlands. 



Coleoptera. — Oxypoda formiceticola, Mark. — Abundant in nests 



