186 Kev. T. A. Marshall's monograph of 



long as the thorax, linear, sometimes incrassated and rounded 

 posteriorly, sessile. 



Head large, subcubic, as wide as the thorax ; face convex, vario- 

 lose ; clypeus short, discrete, its front edge straight, 2 basal fovese 

 distinct ; eyes small, protuberant ; cheeks not dilated. Antennae 

 placed at the edge of the large frontal depression, in both sexes as 

 long as the body, or longer. Prothorax produced, variolosely 

 punctate, its lateral margins elevated. Mesothoracic lobes very 

 convex, the medial one produced towards the head. Metathorax 

 truncated posteriorly, areated by 4 — 6 carinae. Wings rather 

 small ; stigma narrow, lanceolate ; 1st cubital areolet receiving 

 the recurrent nervure a little behind the middle ; 2d small, hardly 

 longer than broad ; pobrachial areolet somewhat longer than the 

 praebrachial, sometimes emitting a spurious nervure from its 

 extremity to the hind margin (but not in H. annulicornis) ; po- 

 discoidal areolet completely closed; radial areolet of the hind 

 wings contiguous or petiolated ; anal nervure distinct. Legs elon- 

 gate, especially the hind pair ; coxae and hind femora incrassated, 

 the latter often dentate beneath ; tibiae stout, but with small 

 spurs ; tarsi elongate. Abdomen narrower than the thorax, de- 

 planate ; 1st segment very long, bicarinated ; 2d and 3d together a 

 little shorter ; the others transverse. 



The large black species of Helcon are found in the 

 forests of Central Europe, usually on the trunks of trees, 

 or felled timber, where the females crawl slowly in search 

 of the burrows of longicorn beetles. Kawall, in Cour- 

 land, bred H. i-iispator, L., from a larva of Strangalia 

 quadrifasciata, L. It is almost certain that Great 

 Britain possesses no indigenous species, and that the 

 occurrence of the following in some numbers on one 

 occasion was the result of their accidental introduction. 



1. Helcon annulicornis, Nees. 



Nees, Mon., i., 231 ; Ste., 111. M., vii., Suppl. 4, 

 pi. xxxvii., f. 3 (? , f. 4 ? ; Hal., Ent. Mag., iii., 144, 



Deep black, very shining ; legs red ; 4 anterior coxae and tro- 

 chanters, hind tibiae and tarsi, black ; antennae of the J , and 4 

 posterior tai'si in both sexes, annulated with white ; hind femora 

 armed beneath with a stout subapical tooth. Face rugose ; vertex 

 deplanate, transverse, smooth. Antennas ? 29-jointed, black ; 

 joints 13 — 15 white. Mandibles and palpi fuscous. Thorax 

 punctate, with blackish pubescence. Metathorax reticulated, with 



