130 Dr. Sharp's Revision of the 



In the male^ the seventh segment of the abdomen is, 

 on the upper side, sparingly sprinkled with small granu- 

 lations, its apical margin is truncate and obsoletely 

 crenulate. 



In the female, the upper and under plates of the 

 seventh segment have the hind margin gently rounded. 



The type of this species (that described above) occurs 

 very rarely in the South of England, sometimes in the 

 nests of Formica fuliginosa. 



In the north of Scotland, on Mamsoul, I have captured 

 a series of about two dozen specimens of a Homalota, 

 which may, perhaps, prove a distinct species from that 

 described above, though I think them only a variety. 

 They are lighter in colour, and not quite so shining, and 

 are narrower, especially towards the front ; the antennae 

 are a little thinner, the thorax is longer and narrower, 

 so that its length is about equal to its breadth, and the 

 elytra are but little, if at all, longer than the thorax. The 

 male characters are the same as in our Southern speci- 

 mens. I have not seen a sufficiently large series of the 

 Southern form to be able to judge to what extent it 

 varies ; but should these Scotch specimens prove a dis- 

 tinct species, the name nitidmscula may be applied to 

 it. Two or three examples taken on the hills about 

 Thornhill appear to be somewhat intermediate. 



Ohs. I. — A German specimen of H. nitidula, sent by 

 Kraatz to the British Museum, agrees entirely with our 

 Southern examples. 



Ohs. II. — H. nitidula is only likely to be confounded 

 with H. graminicola, but is readily distinguished from it 

 by its stouter antennae, and the much finer punctuation 

 of its elytra. 



30. Homalota ohlongiiiscula. 



Nigra, nitidula, elytris vel ferrugineis vel fuscis, pedi- 

 bus fusco-testaceis, subtiliter sat confertim punctata ; 

 antennis sat validis, apicem versus incrassatis ; thorace 

 transversim subquadrato; abdomine supra basi parcius 

 punctate, apice Isevigato. Long. 1^-1 1 lin. 



Mas; antennis articulo tertio incrassato, capite utrinque 

 fortius punctate ; abdomine segment© 7° dorsali obsole- 

 tissime crenulato, ventrali subproducto. 



H. ohloruja, Wat. Cat. 



