82 ADEPHAGA. \talathus. 



Black, very shining, apterous, exceedingly like 0. cistdoides, but at once 

 distinguished by the absence of pores on the fifth stria ; it is more 

 parallel also, and generally smaller, and the base of thorax is less 

 punctured ; in fact, as a rule, it is impunctate, or almost so ; the margins 

 of the thorax arc reddish ; the male often has a greenish metallic tinge 

 on the elytra, such as is often seen on some of the black Anchoiueni, 

 and the female is duller ; palpi, antennte, and legs red. L. 8-10 mm. 



Sandy places, at roots of grass and plants, &c. ; local, but abundant where it occurs. 

 Scotland, local, maritime, Fortb, Clyde, Moray. Ireland, near Belfast and Dublin, and 

 probably widely distributed. 



C mollis, Marsh (ocJiro2>tertts, Sturm). Apterous ; pitchy brown 

 with margins of thorax and elytra testaceous, sometimes entirely light 

 brown ; thorax subquadrate, somewhat rounded in front, posterior angles 

 very blunt, dorsal furrow fine, base with a shallow but distinct fovea on each 

 side ; elytra very finely striated, strongly rounded, distinctly widest in 

 middle, much more plainly w*ider than thorax than in the allied species, 

 third interstice with from three to five pores ; antennae, palpi, and legs 

 pale testaceous. L. 6-7 mm. 



Sandy coasts, at roots of grass and plants on sand-hills, under stones, tidal refuse, 

 &c. ; common and widely distributed throughout England ; Scotland, local, maritime, 

 as far north as the ]\Ioray district; Ireland, near Dublin. Dawson mentions it as very 

 abundant in Scotland and Ireland as well as iu England (Q. D. 77). 



C. melanocephalus, L. Apterous ; head black, antennae and 

 palpi reddish testaceous ; thorax red or yellowish-red, subquadrate, rather 

 narrowed in front and slightly narrowed behind, posterior angles blunt, 

 ilorsal furrow fine, base with a shallow impression on each side, some- 

 times plain, sometimes almost obsolete ; elytra oblong-ovate, black, often 

 with a slight greenish reflection, side margins very narrowly red, finely 

 striated, third interstice with three or four pores ; legs reddish testaceous. 

 L. 6-7 mm. 



The y.nuhigena, Hal. (C. alx)inus, Dej.), difi"er3 from the type form, in 

 being, on an average, smaller, and in having the thorax more or less clouded 

 with black, and sometimes entirely black ; Dr. Sharp has in his collec- 

 tion some very dark specimens from Braemar, in which even the margins 

 of thorax are black ; in these cases the antennas are darker, and the legs 

 more or less pitchy: these dark examples cannot therefore be confounded 

 with C. micropferus, which has the margins of the thorax, and the legs 

 and antennai clear testaceous, or at most slightly reddish. 

 . This variety was first discovered by Mr. Haliday on the mountains of 

 Ireland, where it is not uncommon in Wicklow, &c. ; it is also not un- 

 common on the higher hills and mountains of Scotland. It appears, 

 however, to be merely an alpine form of the type, and to have no claim 

 to be considered a separate species. 



Common and widely distri'juted throii:| tut the kingdom: the most abundant 

 species of the genus. 



