Mi/rmedonia.] staph ylinid-e. 59 



who found it iu 1SG5 in tlie uests of tlio small ant Tapinoma erralica, in a sandy 

 place near Bournomouth. 



This insect lias ofteu been compared with A. canah'culatus, hut in 

 general appearance is very tlifferent ; in the catalogue of Heyden, 

 Rcitter, and Weise it is associated with the latter insect under the genus 

 Astilhus ; although it certainly seems hardly to belong to the genus 

 M Drmedonia proper, yet, except perhaps iu one or two points, it appears 

 to be quite as far removed from Astilhus : it may perhaps he made the 

 type of a separate genus altogether. 



ASTZIiBUS, Dillwyn. 



The old name of Astilhus has lately been revived in place of the 

 name Drusilla (which is preoccupied for a genus of Lepidoptera) for the 

 small genus containing the common and well-known MyriiieJonia canalicu- 

 liita, and three or four other species which are not found in Britain : 

 the superficial characteristics are the narrower form, more projecting 

 head, longer thorax, and very short elytra, the latter being distinctly 

 shorter than the thorax, which is evidently lono-er than broad : the le"s 

 are more slender, and have the intermediate and posterior tarsi longer ; 

 the species are wingless. 



A. canaliculatus^ F. {Myrmedoniacanaliculata, Er., Drusilla cana- 

 liculata, j\lann ). Elongate and narrow, of a chestnut or reddish-chestnut 

 colour, with the head and more or less of the hind body before apex Ijlack ; 

 head large, nearly as broad as thorax ; antennae long, gradually and 

 slightly thickened towards apex, brownish, Avith the basal joints testa- 

 ceous, penultimate joints hardly transverse ; thorax plainly longer than 

 broad, broadly impressed longitudinally in male and channelled in centre 

 of impression, channelled in female, plainly narrower at base than 

 base of elytra, closely ami moderately strongly punctured ; elytra very 

 transverse, shorter tlian thorax, widest at apex, rather strongly and 

 somewhat rugosely punctured ; hind body with sides somewhat rounded, 

 narrowed at base, finely punctured in front, almost smooth beliind ; 

 legs long and slender, testaceous, posterior tarsi almost as long as tibiie. 

 L. 4 mm. 



Male with the dorsal plate of seventh segment of hind body rather 

 broadly emarginate in a semicircle, with the emargination finely denti- 

 culate, and ending on each side in a small sharp and projecting tooth. 



In runs of Formica Jlava and other ants, also under stones, in haystack refuse, 

 decaying sea-weed, nmss, &c. ; abundant in England, especially in the ilidlands and 

 the Souti) ; Scotland, scarce. Lowlands, Forth, Solway, and Clyde districts; Ireland, 

 Belfast, Armagh, and Dublin, and probably generally distributed. 



CAZiZiZC£RUS, Gravenhorst. 

 This genus contains a few species found in Europe, and one from 



