o 



Melic/ethfs.] CLvviconxi.v. 2-17 



1»I. corvlnus, Er. Ovate, shining Llack, convex ; punctuation of 

 elytra and tlioras rather stron.i;- ; interstices of elytra filled with rather 

 indistinct and coarse cross reticulation, of thorax nearly smooth ; legs 

 and antennas black, tibiae somewhat thickened towards apex ; anterior 

 tibiae very finely crenulated, crenulations obtuse and hardly perceptible 

 even under a considerable magnifying power. L. 2| mm. 



Ou Lahiatce ; very rare; Micklehaui (Power); ow Agr aphis nutans awA Melam- 

 pyrum pratense ; Caberbam, a fe.v examples (Cliuiiipion). 



"Bl. aeneus, F. (hrassicw, Scop.). Oblong or oblong-ovate, shining, 

 greenish or greenish-bronze, with rather thick and fine greyish pubes- 

 cence ; antennae pitchy or blackish, with the first joint dark brown 

 and the second reddish- brown ; thorax half as broad again as long ; 

 punctuation of upper surface rather close, Avith fine cross reticulation 

 between punctures ; legs pitchy, anterior tibise lighter, very finely 

 serrated. L. H-2| mm. 



V. cceruhus {31. coeruleus, Steph ). Of a blue or purple colour, with 

 the elytra sometimes brownish ; pubescence very scanty. 



On various flowers, especially Cruciferre and RanunculacecB ; very commou and 

 generally distributed throughout the kingdom ; the variety occurs with the type, but 

 is rather rare. 



This species is very varialile, and often gives rise to mistakes. M. 

 Brisout says concerning it (Synopse du genre Meligethes, p. 10), " Jn 

 the South of Europe, in Algeria, and in Syria it usually occurs with 

 greyer and rather longer pubescence ; the posterior angles of the thorax 

 are, as a rule, right angles, but it is not uncommon to meet with ex- 

 amples in Algeria and in Spain which have these angles obtuse or even 

 rounded." These remarks are worth quoting, as showing the difficulties 

 that the genus occasionally presents, even in usually constant characters, 

 and as tending to prove that several of the species which are now on 

 slight differences regarded as distinct may very likely be merely varieties 

 or races of some other species. 



BfE. viridescens, F. [virescens, Thorns.). Eather long, oval, shin- 

 ing, greenish-blue, sometimes entirely green, rarely blackish ; antennae 

 red with club darker ; legs red, anterior tibiae very finely serrated ; punc- 

 tuation rather strong, with fine cross reticulation between punctures, 

 which is plainer on thorax than on elytra ; the species may be known 

 from M. cenens, with which it is often found in company, by its more 

 elongate and oval shape, lighter legs, and stronger punctuation. L. 2-3 



mm. 



On CrucifercB, Ranunculacecs, and other flowers ; very common and generally dis- 

 tributed throughout the kingdom. 



M. difflcilis, Heer. Of rather long oval or oblong oval form, deep 

 black, very shining, usually with a very slight greenish reflection ; an- 

 tennae reddish-brown, with the first two joints lighter ; punctuation 



