122 Dr. Sharp^s Revision of the 



the tenth. The palpi are yellowish^ with the last joint 

 more or less infuscate. The head is narrower than the 

 thorax, suborbiculate, the disc moderately convex, very 

 finely and not very closely punctured. The thorax is 

 but little narrower than the elytra, subquadrate, the 

 length being about equal to the breadth, scarcely nar- 

 rowed behind, with or without a central longitudinal 

 channel, finely and closely punctured. The elytra vary 

 in colour, being sometimes reddish-brown, sometimes 

 pitchy-black ; they are about one-third longer than the 

 thorax; subquadrate, their length being about equal to 

 their breadth ; closely and finely punctured. The abdo- 

 men is black and shining, more or less distinctly yellow 

 at the apex; segments two to four pretty closely and 

 finely punctured, fifth segment more sparingly punc- 

 tured, sixth nearly smooth. Legs yellow. 



In the male, the under plate of the seventh segment 

 of the abdomen is narrow, and projects considerably be- 

 yond the upper plate ; its hind margin is gently rounded. 



In the female, the upper plate of the seventh segment 

 is slightly emarginate in the middle, while the under plaLe 

 is broader than the same part in the male, and does not 

 project beyond the upper plate. 



Extremely common all over the kingdom, in moss, and 

 wet places, on the banks of rivers, &c. 



24. Homalota volans. 



Linearis, antennis sat tenuibus, articulis penultimis 

 quadratis, crebre subtiliter punctata; thorace transver- 

 sim subquadrato ; abdomine segmentis 2-4 sat crebre 

 subtiliter punctatis, 5° sparsius punctate, 6° fere laevi- 

 gato. Long, li-l^ lin. 



Mas ; abdomine segmento 7° ventrali vix producto, 

 apice rotundato. 



Fern. ; segmento 7° dorsali apice rotundato. 



H. volans, Scriba, Stet. Ent. Zeit. 1859, p. 413. 



This species, distinguished from U. elongatula by Herr 

 Scriba, is extremely variable, and most difl&cult to cha- 

 racterize. Some of its varieties approach extremely 

 closely to H. elongahda, but it is, I think, a really dis- 

 tinct species. Compared with H. elongatula, it has less 

 developed antennae, these being a little more slender, 



