water-beetles of Jaqyaii. 455 



the genus in Japan, and has been met with at Nikko, 

 Niigata, Yokohama, and Hakodate. 



Laccobius bedeli. 

 Breviter ovalis, convexus, niger, capitis macula utrinque, pro- 

 tlioracis lateribus, antennis, palpis, pedibus elytrisque testaceis, his 

 confertim fusco-lineatis, pallide subguttatis ; prothorace crebre 

 fortiter punctato, inter puncta polito ; elytris omnino regulariter 

 seriatim punctatis ; mesosterni lamina magna. Long. 3 mm. 



This, though very similar to the European L. hlpunc- 

 tatus, does not agree sufficiently therewith to justify its 

 being treated as a mere variety thereof. L. bedeli is 

 larger, and the elytra are smoother, the very regular 

 punctures being smaller and placed much farther from 

 one another, the two pallid spots near the apex charac- 

 teristic of L. hipunctatus are absent, and the mesosternal 

 lamina is much larger. 



This is the insect formerly alluded to in Trans. Ent. 

 Soc. Lond., 1873, p. 61, as possibly a variety of L. 

 minutus, L., but, now that the characters of that insect 

 and the allied species in Europe have been ascertained, 

 it is evident that the Japanese insect is also distinct, 

 and I have with much pleasure named it in honour of 

 M. Louis Bedel, whose kind assistance has grpatly 

 helped me in making out its characters. 



Although only a few examples have been brought 

 back the species is probably very common, as it has 

 occurred at several localities, Yokohama, Oyama, Sendai, 

 Hakodate. 



Laccobius oscillans. 

 Ovalis, sat convexiis, niger, capitis macula parva utrinque, pro- 

 thoracis lateribus, antennis, palpis pedibusque testaceis ; elytris ex 

 parte majore uigricantibus, plus minusve pallido-subguttatis, lateri- 

 bus apiceque pallidioribus, seriatim punctatis interstitiis magis 

 sparsim seriatim punctatis ; prothorace inter puncta majora tan- 

 tum obsolete alutaceo-punctato. Long. ^\ mm. 



This is excessively similar to the European L. altemus, 

 but under the microscope it is seen that the thorax is 

 only obscurely alutaceous. This character is of too much 

 importance in the genus to allow the union of the 

 Japanese and European insects ; the former, indeed, is 

 intermediate between the two groups of European species, 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. LOND. 1884. PART IV. (dEC.) 2 I 



