Xanfh'iliyins.] STArnvuNiD/R. 289 



In (luno:, liaystiick refuse, decaying sea-weed, under stones, &c.; common and 

 generally distributed throughout the kingdom, but more abniid;iMt in the south thnn 

 in the north ; in Scothind it has been recorded only from the Sohvay, Clyde, and Shet- 

 land districts, but probably occurs in the iutervening ones ; it is common in Ii'eland. 



X. punctulatus, Payk. (sub-son. G yrohyj/nus, Steph.). Shining 

 Llack, %yit]i the elytra sliglitly metallic, sometimes pitchy ; head suhc[uad- 

 rate, broader behind than thorax, very strongly an<l snbrugosely punctured, 

 Avith an almost smooth central space, forehead with four furrows; thorax 

 oblong, \Qvj slightly narrowed behind, with two dorsal series of four or 

 five punctures, and two lateral of eight or nine finer ones ; elytra a little 

 longer than thorax, rather strongly and not thickly punctured, the punc- 

 tures being arranged in rows towards the sides; hind body finely and 

 rather thickly punctured; legs black or pitch-black, with tlie tarsi always 

 lighter. L. 6-6| mm. 



JSIale with the seventh segment of hind body truncate, segment of arma- 

 ture imbricate in middle and often split and gaping open; in the female the 

 segment of armature is furnislied behind with an additional small crescent- 

 shaped segment. 



In haystack refuse, moss, cut grass, &c. ; common throughout the kingdom. 



X. ochraceus, Gyll. (sub-gen. Gyrohypnvs, Steph.). This species 

 very closely resembles the preceding, but is a little smaller and narrower, 

 and, as a rule, of a distinctly lighter colour, the legs being pitchy red or 

 reddish testaceous, and the elytra being occasionally dark pitchy red, 

 or somewhat testaceous ; sometimes, however, dark specimens closely 

 resemble X. punctulatus in colour; the head is more oldong and parallel- 

 sided than in the latter species, and is more thickly and rugosely punc- 

 tured on the sides, with the punctures more oblong; the thorax is a little 

 more narrowed behind, and the dorsal series is composed of a larger 

 number of punctures; the elytra are a little more finely punctured, and 

 not quite so long in proportion, but these characters appear to vary in 

 different specimens. L. 6 mm. 



In haystack refuse, cut grass, moss, &c. ; local, but widely distiibnted; Lniidon 

 district, south and midland districts, not uncommon ; somewhat rarer further north ; 

 Scotland, oidy recorded from the Solway and Moray <listricts, but I have a specinu^u 

 which, I believe, comes from one of the iutei\ening localities. Ireland, mar Belfast. 



X. atratus (sub-gen. Gyrohyjmus, Ste})h.). This species is closely 

 related to the two preceding, and is, in the shape of the head, and one or 

 two other points, intermediate between them ; from 2C. pioicfulaftis it 

 differs in not having the head at all widened towards b.ise(this character, 

 however, is not always very obvious in X. 2JU?irtv]atus), and in having 

 the dorsal series of thorax composed of somewhat finer punctures ; in 

 colour, size, and shape it much resembles X. ocJiraceus from which it 

 may be distinguished by its less oblong head, and by having the dorsal 

 series composed of a smaller number of punctures ; the legs are pitchy 

 red and the elytra are usually darker than in average X. ochraceus, but 

 this is by no means a reliable character. L. 6 mm. 



VOL. II. u 



