262 ^^^"^' 



very much alike, and difficult to distinguish ; morosus, however, has rather a shorter 

 form, and the antenna are pale throughout, whilst in memnonius they are dusky at 

 base and apex." As regards the emargination of the forehead, Keitter himself says 

 it is slight in this species, and as M. memnonius has the anterior margin not always 

 quite straight, a confusion might easily arise ; if they are distinct species, they are 

 certainly very closely related. Brisout does not recognise M. memnonius at all, 

 while Eeitter places them in different divisions altogether. Length, 1 lin. 



I have a specimen from Eepton, and there are several in the late 

 Mr. Eye's and Dr. Power's collections which appear to belong to this 

 species, but it would seem advisable to include them under meimionius, 

 or, vice versa, to include our memnonius under morosus. 



h. Anterior margin of forehead straight. 



(Y- Body short oval ; colour shining black. 



aa. Punctuation not much stronger on elytra than on 

 thorax. 



M. memnonius, Er. — Yery like the preceding species, and in all probability not 

 distinct fi'om it ; the second joint of the antennae only is reddish, and the punctua- 

 tion, according to Erichson, is more diffuse than in M. morosus ; it also resembles 

 M. ochropus, from which it may be distinguished by its closer punctuation, smaller 

 size, and darker antennae and legs; from M. dijfflcilis, to smaller specimens of which it 

 comes rather close, it may be separated by its closer punctuation and general shape. 



Length, f — 1\ lin. 



On Caltha pahcstris, also on Lahiatce ; Worthing, Eepton, Bear- 

 stead ; London District, common ; on flowers of Galeopsis unicolor. 

 Chat Moss, Mr. Chappell ; a widely distributed and not uncommon 

 species. 



Since writing the above, I have received from Herr Eeitter a type 

 labelled M. niger, Bris., M. memnonius, Eeitter, non Erich., and in his 

 letter he says, " I do not know memnonius ; the species which I have 

 described is niger, Brisout." M. niger is very different from M. 

 memnonius, Er., being more closely, though strongly, punctured, less 

 shining, more pubescent, and with evidently longer thorax, which is 

 about one-third broader than long ; the species described under M. 

 memnonius in Herr Eeitter's Monograph is the M. memnonius of 

 Erichson, as we understand it, for he mentions the fact that it comes 

 near to M. ochropus, and has the thorax almost double as broad as 

 long ; the whole matter has yet to be cleared up, but the explanation 

 seems to be that M. memnonius, Er., and M. morosus, Er., are not really 

 distinct, and that M. memnonius, as it stands in some of the foreign 

 collections, is really 31. niger, Brisout, which name M. Brisout has 

 altered to M. parvulus, as Newman described a species previously as 

 31. niger. 



