Meligethes.] clavicornia. 245 



II. Tarsal claws toothud at base. {Acaalhogethes, 

 Keitter.) 

 i. Tliorax and el^ytra ratlicr coai'sely punctured ; upper 

 surface sbining, usually with u red spot on each 

 elytron ; anterior tarsi of male not dilated; inter- 

 stices smooth M. BREVis, Sturm. 



ii. Thorax and elytra finely punctured ; upper surface 

 dull, uuicolorous ; anterior tarsi of male strongly 

 dilated; interstices with phiin cross striatiou . . . M. solid us, h'tij. 



DE. rufipes, Gyll. Lroad, somewhat ovate, moderately convex, 

 black, rather dull; the largest of our s])ecies; easily distinguished 

 fiom all the others (except M. honban'-s) by its size, taken in conjunction 

 with its red. legs ; smaller specimens closely resemble M. lumharis 

 (which is the var. h of M. rufipes of Gyllenhal, Ins. Suec. i. 235), but 

 may l:>e separated by the shape and the finer punctuation of the thorax ; 

 the first joint of the antennae in ill", rufipes is light, in M. hnnharis more 

 or less dark, and in the former species the margins of the thorax are 

 broader and of a reddish colour, whereas, in the latter, they are narrower 

 and darker; the latter distinctions, however, although as a rule they 

 hold good, are not always constant, and are apt to be misleading ; the 

 anterior tibiae in M. rufipes are sublinear, and very finely denticulate 

 or crenulate. L. 2|-3|^ mm. 



On flowers, especially hawthorn bloim in spring ; found also on Jianunculacefp, Ruli 

 Allium, &c. ; very common and generally distributed in England and Wales as far 

 north as Yorhshire, but rarer further north. Northumberland district, " apparently 

 rare ■' (Bold) ; Scotland, occasional; Dr. Sharp (Scottish Nat. iii. 373) says, " This 

 sjieeies is perhaps not uncommon, but no localities are recorded for it." 



There is a reddish variety of this species which has been taken at 

 Hainault Forest (Power), and Highgate (Newbery) ; one of Dr. Power's 

 specimens has the thorax and one elytron of the normal colour, with a 

 slight greenish metallic tinge, and the other elytron of the colour of the 

 variety. 



iw:. lumbaris, Sturm (rufipes, var., Gyll. et anct.). Considerably 

 smaller than the average specimens of the preceding, rather shorter, 

 narrower, and more oblong, with the thorax more distinctly punctured 

 than elytra, first joint of antennae usually dark, and legs considerably 

 stouter and of a darker colour. L. 2|-3 mm. 



On Umbelliferce, broom, nettles, hawthorn, and other flowers ; local, hut not un. 

 common in many localities; London district, rather generally distributed; Bearstead 

 Kent, on roses, particularly garden ones (Gorhani) ; Southgate; Loughton ; South- 

 ampton, on Pulicaria dysenterica (Newbery) ; Knowle ; Repton ; Chat Moss; Norths 

 umberland and Durham district, local ; Scotland, rare, Solway district. 



1«. fulvipes, Bris. (ruhripes, Muls.). Oblong-ovate, black, occasion- 

 ally with a leaden reflection, with short grey pubescence ; upper surface 

 very finely punctured, with distinct cross reticulation between the 

 punctures ; legs and antennae light red or reddish-yellow, occasionally 



