Mordellistena.} HETEROMERA. a 
brown, the others black ; anterior tarsi yellow-testaceous, the others 
partly reddish ; antenne with the fourth joint about one and a half 
times as long as third ; maxillary palpi with the last joint securiform. 
Female black, with the thorax and abdomen red or yellowish-red ; 
mouth, base of antenne, anterior legs, and part of tarsi reddish- 
testaceous ; antenne with the fourth joint scarcely longer than third ; 
maxillary palpi with the last joint oblong, slightly securiform. 
On flowers of Umbellifere, &c.; in and near woods; not common ; Caterham, 
Ripley, Mickleham, Coombe Wood, Darenth Wood, Chatham, Sevenoaks, Bearsted 
near Maidstone, Cowfold, Guildford ; Strood ; Wrabness, Essex; Abbots Wood ; 
Folkestone ; Hastings; New Forest ; Glanvilles Wootton ; Swansea. 
IM. humeralis, L. Black, or fuscous, clothed with silky yellowish 
pubescence, with the base of the antenne, front and sides of thorax, a 
large patch at each shoulder, and the legs testaceous or rufo-testaceous ; 
base of femora and part of posterior tibie and tarsi fuscous; the 
pubescence, as Thomson observes, has a slight violaceous reflection ; 
punctuation very fine; antenne moderately long; head transverse, 
straight at base; thorax transverse, strongly bisinuate at base, 
posterior angles obtuse but almost right angles; scutellum obtusely 
triangular; elytra not as broad at base as thorax, gradually narrowed 
behind, separately rounded obtusely at apex ; anal process long, slender 
and pointed ; posterior tibie with three fuscous strigosities before apex ; 
claws slightly denticulate. L. 3-4 mm. 
Male with the last joint of the maxillary palpi almost triangularly 
securiform, and the lateral border of thorax and spot at shoulders well 
determined. 
Female with the last joint of the maxillary palpi oblong-securiform, 
and the yellow colour on thorax and elytra not well defined, thorax 
sometimes entirely yellow (M. lateralis, pars). 
On flowers of Umbellifere, &c.; rare; Hsher and Claygate ; Sevenoaks, Brent- 
ford, and Horsell (Power) ; Hertford; Maidstone (Gorham) ; Glanvilles Wootcon, 
very rare (Dale) ; Tewkesbury and Trench Woods (Blatch). 
V. lateralis, Ol. (M. lateralis, auct.; variegata, F.). This variety, 
which has by so many authors been regarded as a separate species, can 
hardly be considered distinct ; the fuscous strigosities at the apex of the 
posterior tibia are a little shorter and less oblique, and the proportional 
length of the third and fourth joints of the antennz is said to be different, 
but the latter character is very uncertain ; the only real difference lies 
in the colour, and this is so variable in both M. humeralis (especially in 
the female) and M. lateralis that it can hardly be regarded as a distinc- 
tive character ; the yellow spot at the shoulders of the elytra is extended 
towards apex, and leaves only the suture and the sides dark, and the 
dark colour of the thorax extends further along base; the antenne and 
legs are entirely or almost entirely testaceous; sometimes the elytra 
appear to be almost entirely yellow with the exception of the apex, 
L, 3-33 mm. 
