570 CANARIAN COLEOPTERA. 



This Philonthus is certainly identical with the P. sordidus of the 

 * Ins. Mad.,' and also with the European species of that name. In 

 addition to the four punctures of its prothoracic series (in which it 

 agrees with the umhratilis), it may he known by its rather distinctly 

 senescent and very deeply and remotely punctui'ed elytra (on which 

 the fulvous pile is coarse and distant), by its (suboval) head having 

 the four frontal punctures almost equidistant from each other, and by 

 its dark antennae and piceous legs. It is widely, but sparingly, dis- 

 tributed over the archipelago, where it will probably be found to be 

 universal. I have taken it in Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, TenerifFe, 

 and Palma ; in the last of which islands it was found also by Mr. Gray, 

 and in Teneriffe by Dr. Crotch. 



869. Philonthus xantholoma. 



Staphylinus xantholoma, Grav., Mon. 41 (1806). 

 Cafius xantholoma, Steph., III. Brit. Ent. v. 246 (1832). 

 Philonthus xantholoma, Erich., Gen. et Spec. Staph. 452 (1839). 

 , Kraatz, Nat. der Ins. Deutsch. ii. 594 (1856). 



Habitat Lanzarotam, Fuerteventuram et Canariam, per oras are- 

 nosas maritimas sub fucis et rejectamentis degens. 



The common European P. xantholoma, which I have captiu-ed spa- 

 ringly (from beneath sea-weed) on the sandy shores of Lanzarote, 

 Fuerteventura, and Grand Canary, may be known by its rather large, 

 subquadrate head (which is very deeply punctured on either side be- 

 hind, and has the eyes somewhat prominent) ; by its opake, flattened, 

 most densely and minutely punctulated, thickly pubescent elytra 

 (which are often of a more or less brownish-piceous hue, and have 

 their inflected margin testaceous yellow); by its piceo-testaceous legs ; 

 aud by its prothorax (which is slightly narrowed posteriorly, and 

 obliquely straightened at the sides) having three of its four dorsal 

 punctures extremely large and subapproximated, whilst the fourth 

 one is remote and placed close to the anterior margin. 



§ II. Prothoracis seriebus dorsalibus e punctis 5 connpositis. 



870. Philonthus bipustulatus. 

 Staphylinus bipustulatus, Pnz., Fna Ins. Germ. 27. 10 (1795). 

 Philonthus bipustulatus, Erich., Gen. et Spec. Staph. 408 (1839). 



, Woll, Ins. Mad. 583 (1854). 



, Id., Cat. Mad. Col. 189 (1857). 



Habitat insulas omnes Canarienses, in stercore vulgaris. 



The rather larger size of this common European Philoiifhus (which 

 abounds in the Madeiran Group), combined with its slightly more de- 

 veloped, less convex, more finely and closely punctured, and blacker 



