84 ADEPiiAGA. [Taphria. 



Damp places, under stones, &c. ; local, and widely distributed, but it can hardly bo 

 called a common insect. London district ; Reigate ; Bouruemouth ; Isle of Wij^^lit ; 

 Deal; Hastings; Tonbridge ; Swansea; Repton, Bewdley, and many other Midland 

 localities; Cheshire; Yorkshire; Northumberland and Durham; Scotlnnd, scarce, 

 but ranging as far as the Orkney Islands ; Ireland, near Belfast and Dublin, and in 

 Donegal. 



PRISTONVCKUS, Dejean. {Lcemostenus, Bon.) 



The species of tliis genus, as well as those of the genera CryptofricJn/s, 

 Ant/isiilindnis and others, ai'e included by some authors under the genus 

 Spliodrus. Although Pridonijchvs is closely connected with S2)liodrus, 

 yet it is better ren;arded as a transitional genus between Calathus and 

 Taphria on the one hand, and Sphodrus and Anchomenus on the other, 

 as seems to be indicated by the denticulation of the claws : our species is 

 easily distinguished by its pubescent tarsi. The genus contains about 

 forty species, chiefly from Europe and the districts round the Caucasus ; 

 many, however, have been sunk as varieties ; they are often found 

 in cellars and holes underground, sometimes under the bark of trees ; 

 many of them, however, are found in mountain districts under large 

 stones and in caves. 



P. terricola, Herbst. (inceqtiaUs, Vanz., siibcyaneus, 111.). Elongate, 

 and very gi'acefully proportioned, cyaneous, rather shining, antennae and 

 palpi pitchy ; thorax cordate, with sides rounded in front, strongly con- 

 tracted behind, posterior angles prominent, disc transversely Avrinkled, 

 dorsal furrow terminated in front in a deep triangular depression, base 

 rugose with a strong curved fovea on either side ; elytra ovate, broadest 

 in middle, rather strongly striated, the strise very finely punctured, and 

 uniting in pairs at apex, sometimes an outer and inner stria being joined, 

 and the others uniting in pairs within it, sometimes uniting in pairs 

 beginning from the siitural or second stria ; occasionally the same speci- 

 men exhibits both these peculiarities on the right and left elytra ; legs 

 pitchy black. L. 13-15 mm. 



Cellars and outhouses ; often found beneath dead leaves in sand-pits, or in the open 

 yountry in hollows or under stones ; generally distributed and common throughout 

 England ; Scotland, scarce, but distributed from north to south ; Ireland, near Bel- 

 fast and Dublin, and probably widely distributed. 



SPKODRUS, Clairville. 



This genus and the preceding are usually j^laced before Calathus, but 

 they appear to come more fitly just before the species of Anchomenus 

 with cordiform thorax, to one or two of which they bear a considerable 

 superficial resemblance : as, however, they are true Anchomenina, it does 

 not much matter where they are j^laced in the tribe as they show 

 affinities in various directions to all the other genera. The genus 

 Sphridrm proper comprises only three species, one from Guinea, another 

 from the Himalayas, and our own species, which is widely distributed in 



