Mr. A. Murray on the Genus Cercyon. 89 



nized by an eye once familiar with it. Kirby and Stephens, how- 

 ever, never seem to have been so, as will be seen from the syn- 

 onymy I have given. Thev seem to have been misled by every 

 trifling variety; for instance, C. stercorarium, Steph., and imma- 

 culatum, Steph., are small black specimens, the one somewhat 

 crumpled and the other very little marked. Boletophagum is a 

 large specimen, immune a small one, and so on. The above syn- 

 onymy I have confined to the genus Cercyon, but I found trom 

 Mr. Little's collection that Mr. Stephens had carried this spe- 

 cies also into other genera, as it formed his representative tor 

 Phalacruspulchellus, Steph., and Phalacrusgemmus, bteph. lUis, 

 however, was no doubt merely by mistake, at least as tar as 

 regards the latter, which is a good species, bearmg a certam 

 resemblance to Megasiernum Boletophagum. 

 The species is very common. 



Cryptoplexjrum, Muls. 



Cercyon, Steph. 



C. atomarium. Fab., Steph. 

 crenatum, Panz., Steph. 

 minutmn, Payk. (not Steph.). 

 merdarium, Steph. 

 var. sordidwm. Marsh., Steph. 



Shortly oval, broadest in the anterior part. Head and pi^- 

 thorax obscure black, densely covered with small punctures; the 

 prothorax angularly folded in below. Elytra black, gradually 

 livid red towards the extremity, with eleven deep creiiulated 

 striK, the seventh almost confounded with the eighth, vvhich is 

 broader. Intervals subconvex punctate, and furnished with hairs. 



Var. B. Elytra almost entirely testaceous red, paler towards the 

 * extremity ; prothorax sometimes testaceous red on the sides. 



Length f to 1 line. 



The shape of the mesosternum and prostemum at once distin- 

 guishes this species when seen from below ; when seen from above 

 It will be known by the coarse appearance of the upper sides and 

 its deeply crenate striae. 



Common. 



The above species of Cercyon, Pelosoma, Megasternum, and 

 Cryptopleurum, include the whole of the British species of the 

 old genus Cercyon which can be recognized from their descrip- 

 tions. They amount to 18 in number, and I have little doubt 

 that the whole of Stephens's 58 species will ultimately be found 

 to come under one or other of them ; indeed, I thmk I have above 



Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 3. Vol. xii. 7 



