532 CANAKIAN COLEOPTEEA. 



The only Canarian example of this FJu/tosvs- v^hich I have hitherto 

 seen was taken by myself in Fuerteventura — from beneath sea-weed 

 on the sandy beach about a mile to the south of Puerto de Cabras. 

 Although I do not possess at present a Porto-Santan specimen for 

 comparison, I have no hesitation in regarding it as conspecific with 

 the Phytosvs which I identified (I now believe, wrongly), in my Ma- 

 deiran Catalogue, with the nii/rivetitris of more northern latitudes. 

 There can be no doubt that it is very closely allied to that insect ; 

 but it is rather narrower, its head is scarcely (if at all) darker than 

 the prothorax and elytra, and its eyes are very appreciably smaller 

 and rounder. In some respects it approaches nearer to the halticus 

 of Kraatz ; but is larger and altogether paler, and its abdomen (which 

 is more densely and finely pimctulated) has the basal half of a rufo- 

 testaceous instead of a piceous hue. 



798. Phytosiis spinifer. 

 P. praecedente vix latior magisquc parallelus, niger, opacias, densis- 

 sime cinereo-pubescens ; elytris prothorace sensim longioribus, de- 

 pressis, postice gradatim plus minus testaceis ; antennis (articulo 

 ultimo obscuriore excepto) pedibusque infuscato -testaceis. — Long. 

 Corp. Im. vix 1^. 



Phytosus spinifer?, Cmiis, Brit. Ent. xv. 718 (1838). 

 , Kraatz, Nat. der Ins. Deutsch. ii. 44 (1858). 



Habitat Lanzarotam et Fuertevcnturam in locis similibus ac proe- 

 cedcns. 



Although I have no actual type of the P. spinifer for comparison, 

 I believe this to be the Phytosus which is referred by Kraatz to that 

 species, and which corresponds with one of the (supposed) sexes de- 

 scribed by Curtis (the other being probably either the nigriventris or 

 the halticus). It is darker and more parallel than the other Phytosi 

 hitherto detected, merely the hinder portion of its elytra (in addition 

 to the limbs) being gradually more or less testaceous. Its elytra, 

 likewise, are more flattened and less abbreviated ; and its whole sur- 

 face is very densely clothed with cinereous pubescence, — the entire 

 insect being somewhat suggestive at first sight of a PhJoeopora, or of 

 an excessively diminutive Aleochara of the ohsntreUa-tYpe. I have 

 taken it rather commonly from beneath sea-weed on the sandy shores 

 of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, — namely, to the south of Arrecife 

 of the former and of Puerto de Cabras of the latter (in which second 

 locality it was found likewise by Mr. Gray). It will probably occur 

 generally throughout those latitudes, if searched for in the proper 

 places, for I observed it in precisely similar spots atMogadore on the 

 opposite coast of Morocco. 



