236 STAi'iiYLiNiD.?;. IQuedius. 



shouklers ; hind body narrowed behind, more or less irideseentj rather 

 finely and not closely, but distinctly, punctured ; legs black, with the 

 tarsi and knees usually lighter. L. 6-8 mm. 



Male with the seventh ventral segment of hind l;»ody much more 

 thickly punctured than the preceding, broadly and evidently sinuate in 

 the middle of apical margin with a smooth space before the sinuation, 

 sixth ventral segment very slightly sinuate with a nt'rrow smooth space 

 before sinuation reaching the apex of the preceding segment. 



In liaystiick refuse, duug-heaps, moss, &c. ; also rnuning on roads and pathways in 

 early spring; common and guuerally distributed throughout the kingdom. 



Q. brevis, Er. Somewhat oblong and parallel -sided, rather short 

 and broad, shining pitchy black with the thorax often lighter, and the 

 elytra, apex of hind body and apical margin of segments reddish testa- 

 ceous ; head somewhat transverse, rather large, antennae moderate, entirely 

 red, with the penultimate joints transverse, the tenth being a little longer 

 than the preceding ; thorax a little broader than elytra, narrowed in front, 

 rounded behind, with the posterior angles very obtuse, with the usual 

 series of three punctures on front of disc wanting, and replaced by one 

 or two only ; scutellum smooth or almost smooth ; elytra transverse about 

 as long as, or almost shorter than, thorax, sparingly and rather strongly 

 j)unctured ; hind body rather short, somewhat narrowed behind, more 

 or less iridescent, rather finely, but distinctly, punctured ; legs reddish 

 testaceous. L. 5-5 1 mm. 



Male with the seventh ventral segment of hind body broadly and 

 angularly emarginate in middle of apical margin, with a smooth triangular 

 space before the emargination, sixth segment slightly sinuate. 



In the nests oi Formica rtifa, and rarely of Formica fuliginosa; local; Chatham, 

 Plumstead, Erith, Hampstead, Bishops Wood, &c. ; Glanvilles Wootton ; Guestlhig, 

 near Hastings; Farklmrst Forest, Isle of Wight; Bewdley Forest ; Buddon Wood, 

 Leicestershire ; Tamworth ; Scai'borough ; apparently rare I'urther north ; Scotland, 

 very local, Dee district only (Braemar and Aviemore). 



Section III. (Sub-Gen. Microsaurus, Steph ) 



This sub-genus comprises only three species, all of Avhich are rather 

 common, and are very easily distinguished from each other by the punc- 

 tuation of the scutellum and of the forehead between eyes. Q. molocJiinus 

 usually has the elytra reddish, and the variety with black elytra is un- 

 common and comparatively rarely met with ; the close punctuation of 

 the elytra will at once separate them from the species belonging to the 

 preceding group. 



I. Scutellum smooth Q. FULiGiNcsus, Grav. 



II. Scutellum punctured. 



i. Elytra always black ; forehead with several punctures 



between eyes Q. teisti?, Grav. 



ii. Eiytra usually reddish, or reddish brown; forehead not 



punctured between eyes Q. jiolochinus, Grav. 



