on the British Species Cissidce. 203 



Brown, or pilchy-brown ; thorax with an indistinct longitu- 

 dinal ridge, usually with about six shallow depressions, on the 

 disc of which the two largest are on the hinder part, and are 

 separated by the ridge alluded to; the fore part depressed, and the 

 anterior margin (like that of the head) recurved and obscurely 

 notched in the middle, the reflected lateral margin broad ; the 

 surface very thickly covered with minute punctures, and somewhat 

 rugulose ; elytra rather less thickly covered with small punctures, 

 rugnlose, and with interspersed large punctures, which have a 

 tendency to form lines : the pubescence, which covers the body, 

 very short — under a lens of half an inch focus scarcely visible, but 

 giving a delicate silky bloom to the surface ; legs and antennae 

 testaceous, the latter with the club dusky. 



This is the largest of our British species, being usually l^ lines 

 in length ; it is very common and widely distributed, being found 

 in the Buleti growing upon various trees : it varies much in size 

 and colour; the latter, however, has merely connexion with the 

 degree of maturity or immaturity of the insect, — when immature 

 being, of course, pale testaceous. 



2. Cis villosulus, Steph. Collection. 



Ptinus villosulus, Marsh. Ent. Brit. p. 86, sp, 14. 



pyrrhocephalus. Marsh. Ent. Brit. p. 86, sp. 15; 



Steph. Illustr. iii. 345, 6. 

 Cis setiger (Chevrolat), iVIellie, 1. c. p. 244, 3, pi. 2, f. 9. 

 — Jlavus, Steph. Illustr. iii. 345, 3. 



This species is more elongate, and usually rather smaller than 

 C. Boleii ; it differs chiefly in having the thorax narrowly mar- 

 gined behind (the thorax of C. Boleti being immarginate behind), 

 the reflected lateral margin narrower, and more strongly setose ; 

 the elytra are rugulose and finely punctured, but large distinct 

 punctures, like those of C. Boleti, can scarcely be said to exist in " 

 the present insect ; the pubescence (or rather the short scale-like 

 glistening setae) is coarser, the individual setae being tolerably dis- 

 tinct under a lens of half an inch focus ; the colouring, moreover, 

 is less uniform, and is frequently fusco-testaceous, or somewhat 

 ferruginous, with the hinder part of the thorax, and the disc of 

 the elytra, more or less dusky. Upon a specimen presenting this 

 colouring Marsham founded his Pt. pyrrhocej^halus. 



Not uncommon in Buleti, in the neighbourhood of London and 

 various other parts. My specimens are chiefly from Hawkhurst, 

 in Kent. 



