Oi/chramus.] clavicornia. 259 



punctured, clothed with thick and tine yellowish pubescence ; coluiii- 

 testaceous or luteous without darker markings ; antenna3 with blackish 

 club ; thorax behind about as broad as elytra, witli sides strong!}^ 

 rounded ; elytra with very narrow side margins ; legs teataceous. L. 

 3—4 mm. 



On flowers of whit-etliorn in spring; also iu decaying fungi; rather common and 

 generally distributed in tlie London and Southern districts ; very common in the 

 ]\lidlands; rarer further north; Northumberland district, rare; Scotland, in fungi, 

 Sohvay, Clyde, and probably other districts ; Ireland, near Dublin, and probably widely 

 distributed. 



C. fung-icola, Heer. Of a somewhat light ferruginous colour, with 

 a darker shade on each side of the elytra, which is more or less ill-defined, 

 and sometimes disappears altogether ; pubescence longer and more 

 scanty and punctuation more diffuse and stronger than in C. luteus ; it 

 is also slightly longer in form, and rather more convex and shining 

 than the latter species. L. 3-4 mm. 



In fungi, especially in autumn ; occasionally by sweeping ; not uncommon and 

 generally' distributed throughout England and Wales; Nortliumberlaud district, 

 common in fungi in woods ; Scothind, Solway and Moray, and probably other districts ; 

 it is most likely widely distributed iu Ireland. 



IPIl^A. 



As we approach the end of the NitidulidiB, we come upon certain 

 tribes whose position seems somewhat doubtful, but which afford an 

 easy transition from one family to the next ; such tribes are the Ipiua 

 and Rhizophagina, which lead into the Trogositiilas. Of the Ipina 

 there are three British genera — Cryptarcha, Ips, and Pityopliagus ; the 

 latter of these three has usually been classed with Ips, but is now riglitl}'- 

 separated from it. Some authors insert the Cybocephalina between tlie 

 Cychraraina and Ipina, but the 4- jointed tarsi and contractile body 

 of Cyhoc.ephalus point to a very different }X)siticn. The Ipina aie 

 characterized by having the labruni hidden, instead of free and visible 

 as in the preceding families; the antennae are 11 -jointed, witli a 

 somewhat loose 3-jointed club ; the prosternum is strongly produced, 

 more so in Cryj^tarcha than in Ips ; the mentum is very narrow, 

 usually oblong or trapezoidal ; the mandibles in Ips, especially in some 

 exotic species (e.g. i/;s Japoniea), are very large and strong ; in Cryp- 

 tarcha they are slender and sickle-shaped ; the labial palpi are short in 

 Cryptarcha, longer and less stout in Ips ; tlie maxillary palpi are some- 

 what slender ; the membranous paraglossse in Ipjs are very conspicuous ; 

 the British genera may be distinguislied as follows : — 



L Anterior coxal cavities open behind. 



i. Thorax overlapping base of elytra ; elytra entirely 



covering abdomen ; body oval, upper surface pubescent. Cexptaecha, Shuck, 



s 2 



