Hypera.| RHYNCHOPHORA. 235 
berland and Durham district ; Scotland, rare, Forth district ; it has not been recorded 
from Ireland, but probably occurs in that country. 
H. variabilis, Herbst. ( postica, Gyll.). Much smaller and narrower 
than the precedixg species ; black, clothed with brown or ashy scales ; 
head with a faint depression between eyes; antenne red with darker 
club ; thorax with the sides evenly rounded, and with three longitudinal 
lighter bands, of which the central one is sometimes more or less obso- 
lete ; on the two side ones there is a small dark patch just in front of 
middle; elytra with a large denuded dark patch reaching from the 
base at scutellum to beyond middle, remainder of suture tessellated, 
sides with obscure small black patches and lighter lines, neither being 
strongly marked ; femora pitchy black, tibize and tarsi ferruginous. L. 
4—5 mm. 
Male with the antennz inserted almost in the middle of the rostrum 
and the abdomen slightly impressed at base ; in the female the antenne 
are inserted a little behind the apex of the rostrum. 
On various Leguminosae, Trifolium, Medicago, &c.; often in moss, and haystack 
and vegetable refuse ; generally distributed and common in the London district and 
the southern counties ; somewhat local in the Midlands; Liverpool district, general ; 
Northumberland and Durham district ; Scotland, rare, Solway, Forth and probably 
other districts ; Ireland, Waterford and Armagh. In this species, as in several of its 
allies, the scales, in fresh specimens, have sometimes a coppery reflection, especially on 
thorax ; the elytra occasionally have a fuscous band near sides. 
H. murina, F, Extremely like the preceding in general appearance, 
but considerably larger and of more robust form; the rostrum and 
furiculus are longer; the thorax is broader with the sides more rounded, 
and the elytra have the interstices more raised and the dark patch at 
base of elytra less distinet ; in the female the fifth ventral segment is 
rounded at the extreme apex only, instead of being broadly rounded. As 
M. Bedel remarks (1. ¢. p. 79), all authors admit the distinetness of this 
species from H, variabilis, without, however, being able to define the 
distinctive characters. L. 6-7 mm. 
Sandy places; by sweeping Leguminose ; often in sand-pits; according to Heeger 
it lives on Medicago sativa; very local, but not uncommon in some districts ; Batter- 
sea Fields (formerly) Shirley, Mickleham, Sydenham, Reigate, Dartford, Gravesend, 
Maidstone, Chatham, Whitstable; Deal; Dover; Arundel; Glanvilles Wootton; 
Exeter district; Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire ; Crosby, Liverpool (rare) ; Scotland, very 
rare, Solway and Forth districts ; Ireland, Portmarnock. 
H. plantaginis, De G. Black, clothed with ashy-brown scales, 
head convex, finely punctured, with an impression between the eyes ; 
antenne ferruginous or red with club dark ; eyes distant on forehead; 
thorax transverse with the sides strongly rounded and dilated in front 
and much narrowed to base, with three light bands, the central one 
narrow ; elytra with a plain denuded dark lateral patch on each side to- 
wards margins and a short denuded line on each side of suture at base ; 
