1868.] 205 



PhryganidcB. Old specimens are in the British Museum, from Children's collection, 

 without locality, and very doubtfully British. The two other European species, 

 N. reticulata, Fab., and N. lapponica, Hagen, might be reasonably supposed to occur 

 here ; the former was noted as British by Turton. Clathrata may be immediately 

 separated from reticulata, to which it is very closely allied, by all the tibiae being 

 yellow, whereas in the latter the posterior pair only are of that colour ; the 

 appendices are also dififerent. Lapponica has a somewhat different aspect, is 

 larger, and wants the rich orange tint on the wings ; the posterior pair also shew 

 little trace of the dark median band present in the other two ; this is indicated by 

 Zetterstedt as a Lapland form of reticulata ; vide " Insecta Lapponica," column 

 1061. All three species are very handsome, and present a striking contrast to the 

 plain and common N. ruficrus, from which they cannot be generically separated. 

 All frequent lakes and deep pools. — R. McLachlan. 



Stenophylax alpest/ris, Kolenati; a Trichopterous insect new to Britain. — Since 

 his previous communication Mr. Chappell has sent me a box of Trichoptera for 

 names, and in it are three fine specimens of the above-mentioned insect, new to 

 this country, and which had only hitherto occurred, so far as I know, in Camiola 

 and Austria proper, in mountainous districts. It is very much smaller than any of 

 our previously recorded species of Stenophylax. The ground-colour of the anterior 

 wings is grey with whitish markings, viz., a large " fenestrated spot," a spot at the 

 base of the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th apical cells, a small one at the arculus, and many 

 small indistinct dots most evident in the apical portion. The appendices are recog- 

 nisably figured by Brauer in the " Neuroptera Austriaca," figs. 48 and 49. This 

 interesting species was taken in Burnt Wood, Stafi'ordshire, Mr. Chappell sends 

 also a pair of Anaholia coenosa of Curtis, a rare species. These are from a now 

 uncertain locality, but probably from the Manchester district, where Mr. Cooke has 

 found it. — R. McLachlan, Forest Hill, London, 18th January, 1868. 



Descri2Jtions of the British species of Protinides. — Originally intending only to 

 make a few observations upon Megarthrus Bellevoyei, it occurred to me that it 

 might be useful to some of our readers if I were to describe briefly the other species 

 of the genus to which that insect belongs ; and, when commencing to act upon 

 that idea, I have thought it still more likely to be of assistance if I were to extend 

 my descriptions to the few other members of the Protinides. This group, of small 

 extent, is very well represented in our country ; as we possess all the recorded 

 European species with the exception of Megarthrus nitidulus, which, as it is found 

 in Germany, I think is not unlikely to occur here. 



As originally characterized by Erichson, the tribe of Proteinini included 

 (besides the mostly exotic Glyptoma) , in addition to the genera to which it is now 

 restricted, Micropeplus, and (with doubt) Pseudopsis. Dr. Kraatz revised it in the 

 BerUn Ent. Zeit., vol. i. (pp. 45 — 53), and in the Ins. Deutsch. ii., 1019, gives the 

 following characters for it : — Under-side of thorax horny behind the anterior coxas ; 

 prothoracic stigmata hidden ; 2nd segment of the abdomen beneath with a longi- 

 tudinal ridge-like elevation in the middle of its base ; anterior coxa? transverse, 

 but little prominent, posterior coxas transverse. The insects composing it are 



