Homalota.} STAriiYLixiD^E. 135 



at apex and rounded ; female -with the same part broader, slightly emar- 

 ginate, and furnished with black cilia. 



lu dunf^, haystack refuse, dead leaves, &c. ; very local ; not uncommou in the 

 London district and the soutli ; it also occurs in the Midlands, but 1 can find no 

 record from any place further north than Birmingham. High^ate, Hampstead, Lee, 

 Deal, Darcnth Wood, Sheerness, Reigate, Wimbledon, Mickleham, Shirley, Catcrham, 

 Esher, Barnes, Surbiton, Birch Wood, Dagenham ; Tonbridge ; Deal; Glauvilles 

 Wotton ; New Forest ; Kuowle, near Birmingham. 



K; aterrima, Grav. (fuscula, Mann., Acrotona aterrima, Thorns. ^ Colpo- 

 dota aterrima, Muls, et Key). Blacky rather dull, with the elytra black or 

 brownish black, rather broad, with strongly pointed hind body, rather 

 long and slender antennce, and dense and fine punctuation ; head 

 rounded, antennae a little longer than head and thorax, black, joints 

 2-3 nearly equal in length, fourth plainly longer than broad, 5-10 

 differing very slightly, hardly transverse, eleventh pointed, as long as 

 the two preceding together ; thorax at base nearly as broad as elytra, 

 nearly twice as broad as long, narrowed in front, with central channel 

 present or absent ; elytra blackish, rarely with a reddish tint, sometimes 

 pitchy, hardly longer than tliorax, strongly transverse, closely and finely 

 punctured ; hind loody thickly, fuiely, and evenly punctured, sixth seg- 

 ment rather more sparingly, with outstanding setse ; legs testaceous 

 more or less infuscate, femora pitchy, middle and posterior tibiae with a 

 distinct outstanding seta : this latter is a good character by Avhich to 

 separate this species from the two succeeding, in whicli the setae on 

 posterior tibiae are indistinct or absent. L. 2^ mm. 



Sexual differences obscure ; the ventral plate of seventh segment of 

 hind body appears to be a little more prolonged in the male than the 

 female. 



In dung, haystack refuse, dead leaves, &c. ; common ; London district, common ; 

 Tonbridge; E.^mouth ; Chat Moss; Birmingham district; Repton ; Liverpool; 

 Northumberland district, common ; Scothmd, abundant throughout the country ; 

 Ireland, near Waterford, and probably coniuiou. 



Hi pyg-maea, Grav. {sericata, Mann., Acrotona ohfuscata, Thorns., 

 Colpodota pijgmcea, Muls. et Key., H. aterrima var. 1, Er.). This 

 species very strongly resembles the preceding, but it is generally of a 

 lighter colour, and its pubescence is a little more distinct and longer ; 

 the antennae are lighter, and have the sixth to the tenth joints a little 

 shorter ; the thorax is a little less strongly transverse, and a little less 

 finely punctured, and is very slightly narroAver in proportion to the 

 elytra ; the hind body is moi'e strongly narrowed behind, and has the 

 apex lighter ; the legs are clearer testaceous, and the exserted seta of the 

 posterior tibiae is absent or exceedingly small ; the basal joint of the 

 posterior tarsi is as long as the tw() succeeding, whereas in H. aterrima it 

 is but little longer than the second. L. 2 mm. 



Sexual differences obscure ; male with the ventral plate of seventh 

 segment of hind body a little mure prolonged than in female. 



