Xantholinus,] STArnvLiNiDiE. 291 



and in its somcwliat sliortcr and rather more strongly punctured elytra. 

 L. 6| mm. 



Very rare; Scotliiiul, Higliluiuls, Tay and Dee districts; Riuinoch (Rye), Loch 

 Callater, Braemar (Cliauipion) ; it is found on the Continent under bark, moss, and 

 dead leaves in woodetl and niountaiuous districts only ; it apjjcars to be lather an 

 unsatisfactory species, and has by some writers been considered a variety only of 

 X. tricolor, (in Mr. Rye's collection there is a specimen wiih the thoracic punctua- 

 tion of this latter species, which, apart from size, is the chief charactei" in which it is 

 said to differ from it,) whereas others appear unable to separate it from X. linearis; 

 except as regards general shape, no two species could be more unlike than the two 

 species just mentioned. 



X. linearis, 01. ]SI"arrow and elongate, shining black or bronze- 

 black with the elytra pitchy brown ; occasionally the thorax and elytra 

 are quite light, almost pitchy red or reddish testaceous ; head oblong, 

 subparallel, sparingly punctured, antennte short, obscurely red, with the 

 first and last joints usually lighter, or with the first joint evidently 

 darker, joints 4-10 strongly transverse; thorax oblong, somewhat 

 narrowed behind, with two dorsal series consisting of twelve to sixteen 

 punctures, the two lateral series being confused ; elytra a little varying 

 in length, about as long as, or shorter than, thorax, rather finely and 

 sometimes even moderately strongly punctured, but with the punctuation 

 not thick ; hind body very finely and sparingly punctured ; legs red 

 with the tarsi a little lighter, L. 6 mm. 



Male with the seventh segment of hind body subtruncate, segment of 

 armature somewhat sinuate at apex, female Avith the latter segment 

 ajiparently consisting of two segments. 



In hotbeds and vegetable refuse generally ; abundant throughout the kingdom. 



X. longriventris, Heer. Very closely related to the preceding, of 

 which it is by many Muiters considered a variety ; it is, however, as a 

 rule larger and darker, and may be distinguished Ijy the smaller number 

 of punctures in the dorsal series of thorax (ten to twelve), and Ijy the 

 longer elytra which are more delicately and sparingly punctured ; as, 

 however, intermediate forms appear to occur, it appears probable that 

 the species can hardly be kept separate from X. linearis. L. 7 mm. 



In haystack refuse, inoss, &c.; widely distributed, but not so common as the 

 preceding, especially in the north ; Scotland, SoKvay, and Forth districts only. 



NUDOBIUS, Thomson. 



This genus contains a few species which live exclusively under bark, 

 and are very slow in their movements; they are separated ivom Xantho- 

 linus by having the lateral marginal line of the tliorax bent underneath 

 and joining the border of the reflexed margin some distance before the 

 anterior angles ; this causes the large lateral seta of the thorax to he 

 situated at some distance from the margin, instead of upon it, a character 

 that has been shown before {v. Philuntlms, p. 259) to be of considerable 



u 2 



