60 



[March, 



Ganglbauer in liis synoptical table separates it from all the known 

 central European species of Cryptophagus by means of these characters. 

 The general facies of the insect is also very distinct. 



Paeamesosojia MELAxocEPHALrii, Herbst. 



The Irish representatives of this insect are decidedly interesting. 

 It would seem that the type, with black head and thorax and chestnut- 

 brown eu-tra, has not, so far as I am aware, l^een found in Ireland. 

 In matiu-e examples of the prevalent Irish foi-m the head, thorax and 

 elytra are black and very shining ; the femora and the apical part of 

 the tibiae are infuscate : and the general pimctuation, especially of the 

 elytra, is noticeably stronger than in the type. As this variety is so 

 well marked, I ventm-e to propose that it should be referred to as var. 

 infuscatiim. I have seen specimens from the counties of Donegal, 

 Cavan, Armagh, Dublin, and Kerry, so that it is widely spread in this 

 countiy. 



At Shane's Castle, Mr. C. W. Buckle found two specimens of 

 another fomi of the same species, which I have little doubt is the var. 

 U7iiveste [univestre] of Eeitter. A short comparative description of 

 the latter is given by Ganglbauer (Die Kafer von Mitteleuropa, iii, p. 

 670). The Lough Neagh specimens are large, about 2 mm. in length, 

 and of more robust structure than the ordinaiy form. They have the 

 head, thorax, and elytra of a unifonn chestnut-brown colour, with 

 the legs and antennae slightly lighter ; the thorax a little more trans- 

 verse than is the case in the type; the general punctuation of the 

 upper surface veiy noticeably stronger ; and the pubescence more 

 scattered. The var. nniveste, Eeitter, has been recorded from Hamburg, 

 Prague, Vienna, and the Caucasus. 



Mr. Gr. C. Champion has recently drawn my attention to a record 

 by Mr. J. H. Keys of a dark form of P. melanocephalum from the 

 Plymouth district [Ent. Mo. Mag., xlii, p. 137 (1906)]. Mr. Keys 

 describes the dark colouring of his specimens, and although he does 

 not mention the stronger punctuation, there is no doubt that they are 

 to be referred to the var. infnscatum. 



Irish Natural Museum, Dublin : 

 January 27th, 1910. 



