Laccohiu.'!.] uvuKopiiiLiD.E. 229 



iioar 13urtoii-on-Treut ; llun.stantoii ; Liverpool district; Holy Ishiiul ; Kotliley 

 Lakes, \(jrlliuinl)crlaiid ; Scotland, Tlioruhill (abuudaut), Loch Uully, &c. 



Xi. bipunctatus, F. Very like the preceiliiiL,', Init distinguished 



from it by the sinuoth ground of thorax, and also by having almost 

 always a pale spot near the apex of each elytron; the second joint 

 of tlio posterior tarsi is one and a half times as long as the third. L. 

 2^-3 mm. 



KatliiT local, but often abundant; Gravesend ; Folkestone; Deal; Iliuistanion ; 

 Hartlepool; Horning FenjSLuny Stratford; Itepton ; Liverpool dialrict; Scotland, 



Edinburgh. 



BEROSUS, Leach. 



This genus com]irises about fifty species, which are widely distriliutcd 

 over the surface of the globe in both the northern and southeiii lienii- 

 spheres ; they differ very widely from all the other llydrophilidip, the 

 ■\vliole elylra being i)lainly striated ; the head and disc of tliorax are 

 usually metallic ; tliey live in stagnant water, and are much better 

 swimmers than the majority of the members of the family ; they appear 

 to feed upon decaying water plants, but are sometimes carnivorous; by 

 tlie movement of their abdomen they are able to produce a rather strong 

 slridulation. 



The larva is described and firrured by Schiodte (i., I'l. v., Fig. 9) : in general shape it 

 somewhat resembles that of I'kilki/drus, except that it is much wiiler and more ovate; 

 the head and prothorax are very small, the scutum of the latter being complete; the 

 scutum of the mesothorax is small, and those of the remaining segments are broken 

 up into very minute corneous plates, four on each segment, invlsil)le except highly 

 iiKigiiltied ; the tirst seven abdominal segments bear very long branchial api)endages, 

 the front ones shorter than the hinder ones, which arc nearly as long as the whole 

 :ibdo\nen ; the eighth segment is short and cylindrical, and hears no cerci ; the legs 

 are rather long, and terminate, like those of the larviu of the majority of the llydro- 

 lihilimu, in simple claws; the colour is dull white, with blackish dots. 



L Apex of each elytron furnished with a s))ine ; head al- 

 most entirely testaceous {Enoplnru.t, Llope) . . . B. SPIXOSTJS, Slev. 

 II. Apex of elytra simi)le ; head entirely metallic. 



i. Thorax with ditFuse punctuation ; male with the 



second joint of anterior tarsi short B. SIONATICOLI.I^, C/uirj). 



ii. Thorax with very close i)UMetuation ; mule with the 

 second joint of anterior tar^i elongate. 



1. Striiu of elytra broad and deep, with large strong 



punctures; interstices convex B. LUKIDU3, L. 



2. Strite of elytra fine and shallow, closely and not 



strongly puucliu'ed ; interstices flat Tl. k¥Vi:^i3, Britlle. 



B. spinosus, Slev. Oblong-oval, very convex, testaceous or re(l(lisli 

 testaceous, with a greenish tinge when alive ; head entirely or almost 

 entirely testaceous, more coarsely punctured than thorax ; elytra rather 

 wider than thorax, with rather deep i)unctured striae, interstices with 

 irregular rows of rather large punctures, all the punctures being, as a 

 rul(\ dark ; there are two dark spots, often obsolete, on thorax, anil some 

 indistinct dark patches on elytra; underside brown; legs testaceous; 



