T/iinohius.] stapiiylinid.'R. 393 



Under stones, in sand and sliin^le, on the banks of rivers, streams, &c. ; local ; 

 Sfiirborough (Lawsou) ; banks of the Skell, near Kijinn, in company with llomalota 

 exili.< and Actiilium concolor (Waterhouse) ; Scotland, common, Sohvay, Tweed, 

 Forth, Tay, and Moray districts ; Ireland, Dodder banks, near Dublin; it probably 

 occurs in many localities in the North of England. 



T. brevipennis, Kies. This species is allied to the preceding, Lut 

 may be distinguished easily by its deep black colour, and shorter and 

 stouter antennte of which the intermediate joints are strongly transverse ; 

 the thorax is more strongly rounded at the sides and is furnished with 

 two more or less obsolete oblique depressions at base, separated by a more 

 or less distinctly raised line ; the elytra are shorter in proportion ; the 

 antennae and legs are much darker, being very dark, pitchy, or black ; the 

 size is on the average rather smaller. L. vix 1 mm. 



Has only been found hitherto in the Fen districts; Holme Fen, Hunts (Janson), 

 May, 1859; Quy Fen, Cambridge April 3rd, 18G3 (Power and Crotch); Fen districts, 

 in numbers (Crotch).* 



SYNT01«nJl«, Erichson. 



This peculiar genus appears to contain at present only two species, one 

 inhabiting Central and Northern Europe, and the other occurring in 

 Alaska, North America : our species is easily known by its broad and 

 short form, metallic lustre, and very strong punctuation ; the tarsi 

 are all five-jointed, the first four joints being short, and the last about 

 as long as the rest taken together ; the insect is foimd in moss in woods 

 and is slow in its movements ; it is not uncommon in many localities, 

 but never appears to occur abundantly. 



The larva of 8. ceneum is described and figured by Schiodte (Part vii. p. 559, PI. 1, 

 &c.) : it is very short and broad, convex, and capible of rolling itself up into a ball, 

 and much resembles a very minute wood-louse ; all the dorsal scuta are complete and 

 are dark-coloured ; the head is much narrower than the prothorax, and the antenna) 

 are very short and rather stout ; the ocelli are three in number on each side ; the 

 prothorax is larger than any of the other segments and is emarginate in front 

 and strongly rounded behind so that it is almost lunate ; the body is broadest at 

 the fourth abdominal segment and from thence is narrowed to apex ; the anal appen- 

 dage is short and broad and looks like an extra segment, and the cerci are solid, very 

 short, and only visible from the side as they do not pass the anal appendage ; the 

 legs are short. Tiiis larva is found in the same habitat as the perfect insect; it is 

 slow in its movements, and avoids danger by rolling itself into a ball and keeping 

 motionless. 



S. aeneum, Miill. Form short, thick, somewhat convex, of a dark 

 black bronze, or brownish bronze colour, sometimes a little greenish ; 

 head much narroAver than thorax, strongly and rather thickly punctured ; 

 antennae about as long as head and thorax united, Ijlack, with the apex 

 reddish, or entirely reddish, terminating in rather a strongly marked 

 three-jointed club ; thorax transverse, much narrower than elytra, very 

 strongly and deeply punctured, with two fovese at base and a smooth 



* This species has been taken this summer (1887) by Mr. Champion in the Isle of 

 Wight ; Dr. Sharp has also taken it in the island at Totlauds Bay. 



