192 SERRICORNIA. [Ernobius. 
ERNOBIUS, Thomson, (Liozoum, Mulsant.) 
The members of this genus are distinguished from Xestobium by the 
slender last joint of the tarsi, and from our other Anobiina by the 
absence of punctured striz on the elytra; they are about thirty in 
number; the majority occur in Europe, but a few have been described 
from North America; three are found in Britain. Kiesenwetter 
(Naturgesichte der Insect. Deutsch. vol. v. p. 125) says that the 
females of Ernobius mollis lay their eggs in spring on the young shoots 
of newly felled pine and fir trees, especially those that have been 
attacked by Hylesinus piniperda, Tortrix buoliana, or other insects that 
injure these trees; the young larve bore into the pith, and feed almost 
exclusively on that substance, which they gradually consume and reduce 
to frass; before changing to pup they bore a round hole to the extreme 
outer surface, so that the perfect insect can easily emerge into the open 
air; the perfect insect appears in the following spring, its transformations 
occupying just a year for their completion. 
I. Antenne with joints 5-8 elongate; colour lighter or 
darker ferruginous, or testaceous. 
i. Thorax even, or with very obsolete and indistinct 
prominences . . 
nee Bees ae al, eee KE. MoLtis, LD. 
ii. Thorax uneven, with small raised prominences before 
BCubellUmM seme: hte tere on ect war dss ete Gerdes on elu ABTR TIS eis 
II. Antenne with joints 5-8 very short, transverse; colour 
pitchy or pitchy-black . . . . . - « «© « « « - E.Niarinus, Sturm. 
E. mollis, L. Oblong, convex, testaceous-brown or ferruginous, 
clothed with rather thick pale pubescence, thickly and finely punctured 
throughout ; head rather large, with eyes large and prominent, antennz 
slender ; thorax broader than long, narrowed in front, with the posterior 
angles rounded; scutellum roundish triangular; elytra rather long, 
parallel.sided, subcylindrical ; legs reddish-testaceous, rather slender, 
with the fifth joint double as long as the fourth. L. 33-5 mm. 
Male with the antenne longer than in the female, and the joints 
longer in proportion. 
In old palings, under bark, &c.; often by sweeping under fir trees ; it is sometimes 
found in old houses; somewhat local, but not uncommon and generally distributed 
throughout England and Wales ; Scotland, local, Tweed, Forth, Tay, Dee, and Moray 
districts ; it is probably moderately common in Ireland. 
E. abietis, F. (brevicorne, Bach.). Very like the preceding, but on 
an average smaller, with the thorax less even and the sides of the same 
less rounded, the anterior angles being almost right angles; according to 
Thomson the fifth to the eighth joints of the antenna do not differ much 
in length, whereas in H. mollis the fifth joint is much longer than those 
on either side of it; the fifth tarsal joint is also shorter. Stephens says 
that it differs from H. mollis “in having the thorax distinctly truneate be- 
hind, the antenne shorter with the three terminal joints manifestly ineras- 
