180 RHYNCHOPHORA. [ Otiorrhynchus. 
sulci in middle ; elytra ovate, rather depressed in front, with moderately 
strong punctured striae, interstices convex, granulate ; legs pitchy black ; 
teeth of anterior femora small. L. 45-65 mm. 
Chalky and sandy places, on the coast or not very far inland; at roots of grass, 
under decaying seaweed, stones, &c.; local, but common where it occurs; Dover ; 
Sussex ; Portsmouth district; Sandown, Isle of Wight; Chesil Beach; Portland, 
small variety. (Gorham) ; Weymouth; Falmouth; Scilly Islands; Whitsand Bay, Ply- 
mouth ; Exmouth ; Woollacombe sands (Devon) ; Bath; Llandudno; Lancaster; Clee- 
thorpes, Lincolushire; Northumberland and Durham district, Hartlepool, &c.; 
Scotland, not common, Solway and Tay districts. 
In the Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine, vol. ii, p. 152, Mr. Rye 
stated that he had taken specimens at Rannoch, which he considered 
to be the O. ambiguus of Schénherr (recorded as British by De Mar- 
seul, Cat. Col. d’ Europe, 1863, and Stierlin), in company with O. rugi- 
Frons, to which it appeared to be very clesely allied, if indeed the two 
insects were not specifically identical. Mr. Rye thus describes his 
insect (Ent. Ann. 1867, p. 87) :—‘‘It appears to be somewhat narrower 
than O. rugifrons, and clothed more thickly with hairs; the thorax is 
somewhat more finely granulated, and the elytra are more finely 
punctate-striate, with the granulations of the interstices not arranged 
in such distinct rows. The rostrum and vertex are more rugosely 
punctate, the punctures running into longitudinal rugule; the former 
also is distinctly keeled in the middle, with an obsolete longitudinal 
furrow on each side. The second joint of the funiculus should be 
almost shorter than the first, instead of somewhat longer as in O. rugi- 
frons :” it will be noticed that the differences are very slight and com- 
parative, and with respect to the central carina of the rostrum, which is 
supposed to be simply rugose longitudinally in O. rugifrons, it appears 
certainly to be present to a greater or a less degree in the last-named 
insect ; whether O. ambiguus is really a separate species or not remains 
to be proved, but our British specimens are certainly very doubtfully 
distinct from O. rugifrons, even as a variety. The presence of a small 
tooth on the antericr femora and the colour as well as the greater 
distance of the eyes from one another on the forehead will separate 
this species from O. ligneus ; from O. ovatus it may be easily known by 
its average larger size, duller appearance, much smaller tooth on the 
anterior femora, and the absence of longitudinal sulci on the thorax, 
which is much more finely granulated. 
©. ovatus, L. . Black, rather shining, clothed with thin griseous 
pubescence ; head and rostrum even or almost even with an impression 
between eyes (which are comparatively prominent), finely and rugosely 
punctured ; antenne red ; thorax very convex, subglobose, very coarsely 
granulate, the granulations on dise coalescing and forming longitudinal 
ridges and deep sulci; elytra convex, somewhat acuminate at apex, with 
coarse punctured strie, interstices finely shagreened on dise, more rugose 
at sides ; legs red, anterior femora with a strong tooth ; reddish varieties 
