264 tApril, 1S85. 



Mentlia aquatica, according to M. Brisout ; local, and considered rare ; 

 Caterham, Wickeu Fen, Mablethorpe ; on Qaleopsis tetraJiit var. versi- 

 color, Chat Moss, Mr. Chappell ; it occurs commonly in Langworth 

 Wood, near Lincoln, on Ajuga reptans, and by general sweeping, and 

 also on strawberry flowers in my garden. 



M. pedicularius, Sturm. — Yery like the preceding, but less convex, of some- 

 what larger and blunter form, with finer punctuation ; the thorax has somewhat 

 more parallel sides, and the side border is very slightly raised ; the hinder pair of 

 legs have the tibiae rounded on the outside, and not obliquely cut off as in M. vidu- 

 atus, and the larger teeth at the apex of the anterior tibiae are weaker. The male 

 has a large smooth tubercle at the extremity of the last abdominal segment, behind 

 whicli there is an inclined, smooth, shining space. Length, 1 — 1| lin. 



Local ; said to be not so common as the preceding. On Lahiatce, 

 especially Lamium album and Salvia pratensis ; Caterham, Mickleham, 

 Darenth, "Wicken Fen, New Forest ; it occurs to me commonly on the 

 same plants and in the same localities in and near Lincoln as 31. 

 viduatus. 



These two species are perhaps the most puzzling of the whole 

 genus ; the differences given by Erichson, Sturm, Reitter and Brisout 

 are mostly mentioned in the above descriptions, but they are by no 

 means satisfactory, for, as a matter of fact, they are very slight in 

 themselves, and individual specimens of the species appear to differ 

 inter se as regards punctuation, denticulation of anterior tibi?e, shape, 

 &c. ; the only distinction that really holds good lies in the characters 

 of the male, the tubercle on the last abdom.inal segment being very 

 plain in M. pedicularius, and wanting in M. viduafus ; M. Brisout 

 has kindly written to me on the subject, and says that 31. viduafus is 

 quite distinct by the finer punctuation and the absence of this tuber- 

 cle, the latter character being always constant ; he has also named 

 Bpecimens for me taken together under precisely the same circum- 

 stances near Lincoln, part of these being the one species and part the 

 other. When, however, species so very closely related are found 

 mixed together in this way, it is rather a temptation to consider them 

 as races of one species, especially as the male character in some species 

 is not always quite constant ; in a long series of the two species the 

 punctuation appears to vary from being nearly as coarse as in M. 

 memnonius to very fine, with intermediate grades. I find the males of 

 31. pedicularius rather rare, and cannot separate the females of the 

 two species satisfactorily, owing to the occurrence of these interme- 

 diate forms as regards punctuation. 



