172 CANAEIAN COLEOPTEEA. 



narrow) still less so, by its tarsi being somewhat long and slender, 

 by its prosternal lines divaricating equally at the base and in front, 

 and by the metasternum of its male sex being furnished with two 

 small tubercles in the centre (between the posterior coxae) behind. 



284. Saprinus fortunatus, n. sp. 

 S. virescenti-subfeneo-niger, nitidus ; fronte densissime punctulata, 

 stria nulla ; prothorace ad latera necnon per basin ipsam dense 

 punctato, intra angulos anticos (oblique subtruncatos) vix im- 

 presso ; elytris densissime punctulatis, spatio communi pone scu- 

 tellum (stria recurva, vel quarta dorsali, terminato) politissimo 

 necnon ad humeros minus punctulatis, striis sat tenuibus, vix 

 punctulatis, humerali in subhumeralem mcrgente, l-4tam dorsaHbus 

 versus medium postice continuatis ; prosterno lineis antice subap- 

 proximatis i^araUelis, ad basin divergentibus ; mesosterno sat pro- 

 funde punctato, angulis sat argute determinatis ; antennis pedi- 

 busque piceis ; tibiis anticis cii'ca 7- (fortiter 4-) dentatis, inter- 

 mediis parce, posticis (angustis, subcurvatis) vix spinulosis ; calca- 

 ribus parvis ; tarsis longiusculis, gracilibus. — ^Long. corp. Hu. 1^—2, 



Histervirescens, Sndle[nec Pai/k.], in Webb et Berth. (Col.) 59(1838). 



Hahitat Lanzarotam, Fuerteventuram et Canariam, in stercore 

 bovino, equino, camelino prajcipue degens : in Lanzarota plerumque 

 abundat. 



The present well-marked Saprinus appears to be intei'mediate in 

 structure between two distinct specific types, namely that of the S. 

 virescens and r«r///"/-ons,— agreeing with the former in its somewhat 

 narrow and comparatively unspinulose hinder tibiae, minute spurs, 

 slender feet, and simple, densely punctulated forehead ; but with the 

 latter in. its anteriorly ^rtr«?/e7 and subapproximated prosternal lines, 

 and in its rather powerfully dentate fore tibiae. In its greenish hue 

 (which, however, is very much duller than that of the S. virescens, and 

 is also slightly subaenescent) it is more suggestive, prima facie, of the 

 first of those insects than of the second ; nevertheless I am inclined 

 to think that it has, in reality, almost as great an afimity with the 

 species around the metallicus and rugifrons as it has with those around 

 the chalcites and virescens* . 



The S. fortunatus is rather a common insect in Lanzarote and 



* Apart from the characters above alluded to (which, being striicti<7-al, are 

 necessarily all-important), the most superficial inspection, one would imagine, 

 must have sufficed to distinguish the present Saprivns from the Em'opean i'ircs- 

 ccns — which has its colour immensely brighter, its pimctation vcr>/ much less 

 dense (though, at the same time, continued lightly even over the disc of the pro- 

 notum), its forehead more convex, its outline considerably rounder, &c. ; but 

 scarcely a " superficial " examination seems to have been bestowed on the few 

 Coleoptera which constitute the very meagre list included in MM. Webb and 



