NOTE ON CERTAIN BRITISH SPECIES OF THE GENUS I.ATHROBIUM. 259 



rock and trunk searching. For the second time, however, I have had 

 remarkably good fortune in Aveather. During the whole eighteen days, 

 only one was wet and on only two other days did we have any rain 

 at all. It is true that on several more days the low clouds made it 

 impossible to work the hills, but on the other hand, most of the sunny 

 days were also still — the best possible conditions for mountain work. 



We left on the afternoon of the 17th, breaking our journay at 

 Newcastle and then putting in a couple of days' collecting at York on 

 the way back, and after this second experience, I eventually arrived 

 home more than ever in love with Highland collecting. 



A Note on certain British species of the Coleopterous genus 

 Lathrobium, Grav. 



By W. E. SHARP, F.E.S. 



It may be within the recollection of such readers of this Journal as 

 are Coleopterists, that some years ago Mr. Donisthorpe published in 

 its pages a paper on some of the black species of our Lathobia, 

 correcting thereby errors of nomenclature then prevalent among 

 British students. {Ent. Bee., xv., p. 180.) Recent investigation into 

 the subject, and correspondence with foreign authorities on the group, 

 have induced me to believe that Mr. Donisthorpe's note requires some 

 slight modification to bring our nomenclature into accordance with 

 that now generally accepted on the continent. 



Thus, in the note referred to, Mr. Donisthorpe rightly showed that 

 L. punctatinn, Zett., given in Fowler's British Coleoptcra (Vol. II., p. 

 301) as a synonym of L. fonduDi, Steph., is really entirely distinct 

 from that species, but his further conclusion that L. atripalpe, Scriba, 

 should be deleted from the British list, all supposed examples of it 

 being referable to L. punctatnm, Zett., further research has shown to 

 be erroneous. 



To completely satisfy ourselves as to L. fovidum, Steph., Mr. 

 Donisthorpe and myself have together recently examined the type of 

 that species in the Stephensian cabinet in the British Museum, and we 

 are left without a doubt but that the species described by Fowler as L. 

 punctatum, Zett., and previously known to British collectors under 

 that name is really the L. fondion of Stephens. 



To make the matter clearer, a short tabular abstract of the salient 

 differences between the species under discussion may not be out of 

 place. 



1. Thoracic punctuation strong, remote, and subseriate, 



with broad smooth space in centre . . . . .. L. fovulian, Steph. 



2. Thoracic punctuation weaker, uniform, confused and 



close, with narrow smooth space in centre. 



i. Elytra much longer than thorax, legs always 



dark .. .. .. .. ,. .. L. qiiadratinn,F&yk. 



ii. Elytra only slightly longer than thorax, elytral 

 punctuation weak, legs variable in colour 



A. Elytra with apical testaceous spot, 



legs lighter . . . . . . . . L. terminatum, Grav. 



B. Elytra immaculate, legs darker .. \a,r. atripalpe, Scriha. 

 iii. Elyti-a hardly as long as thorax, elytral punc- 

 tuation strong, legs pitchy .. .. .. L. punctatum, Zett. 



L. fovnlum, Steph., besides the very characteristic punctuation of 

 the thorax, has a peculiar greenish sheen on the elytra, which the 



