74 [September, 



patch (even in these the head is not black but fusco-piccous), and with 

 the thorax is more evidently coriaceous ; the thorax itself is conspi- 

 cuously longer and less transverse (much more so than in D. sicjma ; 

 a character not mentioned in the description, but apparent in all the 

 Wollastonian types in the British Museum), and the shoulders of the 

 elytra are more sloped. 



The D. lipennifer of Babington (Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond., i, p. 86, 

 pi. X, f. 3) would seem by its name to point to vectensis ; but, from its 

 locality (Whittlesea Mere), and the very clearly drawn figure, is evi- 

 dently (as is the D. Sturmii of the same author) nothing but D. sicjma. 



D. vectensis has also some affinities with D. nigrlventris, Thoms. 

 (April, 1859), so common at Southend ; but the invariably dark abdo- 

 men and thorax, much narrower shape, slighter build, and less defined 

 and very variable elytral fascia of the latter readily distinguish it. 

 It is the fasciatus of Dejean, Dawson, and Wat. Cat., but fasciatus 

 being preoccupied by Paykull and Fabricius for sigmn, Rossi (anterior 

 in date), another name is considered to be required for this one. 

 Schaum, Ins. Deutschl. i, p. 272, adopts notatus, Steph., for it ; but 

 Thomson, though referring to Schaum's pointing out the necessity of 

 suppressing yrtscifff?^^, altogether ignores his adoption of the Stephen- 

 sian name, and, I think, with propriety, as Stephens (Manual, p. 7) 

 himself sinks his notatus as a variety of fasciatus, Payk., which, as 

 above observed, is sigma, Rossi, and with which he erroneously identi- 

 fies the Southend species. 



D. ohJitus, Boieldieu (Ann. Soc. Ent. France, ser. 3, vii, p. 402 ; 

 24 Aug., 1859), is, from the description, apparently nifjrii-entris, Thoms., 

 with which it is associated in all recent Catalogues, and which has a 

 priority of publication of about five months. The ohJitus of the re- 

 spective Catalogues of Mr. Crotch and Dr. Sharp, and the var.? ohlitus 

 of my own Catalogue refer, however, to vectensis. 



D. myrmidon, Eairm. (Ann. Soc. Ent. France, ser. 3, vii. Bull., 

 p. ciii), from Beziers, is of very small size (2 millim.), and has the 

 thorax of quadrillum. 



D. seZ/«^2«A% Motschoulsky (Etudes Entomologiques, iv, 1855, p. 82), 

 from Egypt, thus curtly described : — " De la taille du Dr. sigma, mais , 

 "plus large; d'une couleur testacee pale, a tete noire et une bande 

 " transversale, etroite, sinuee en angle vers la suture, sur la partie pos- 

 " terieure des elytres," will apparently fit any of the group but 

 vectensis, with which the narrowness of its transverse band prevents 

 aiw comparison. 



Park Field, Putncj, S.W. : 

 August, 1873. 



