142 Dr. Sharp's Revision of the 



Obs. — Hardy's name of H. algce should, perhaps, be 

 used for this species, as it is the oldest. He, however, 

 considered this and H. Halobrectha as one species in his 

 description. 



38. Homalota iirinceps. 



Nigra, pube flavescenti vestita, antennis elytrisque 

 fuscis, antennarum basi pedibus anoque rufis ; antennis 

 articulis 8-10 subtransversis ; capite evidenter punctate; 

 thorace subquadrato, basin versus angustato ; abdomine 

 supra segmentis 2-4 parce punctatis, 5 et 6 Itevigatis. 

 Long. If lin. 



Mas; abdomine segmento 7° dorsali apice angusto, 

 truncato. 



Much larger than the largest examples of H. Halohrec- 

 tha, or puncticeps, and in colour somewhat intermediate 

 between the two; allied to H. puncticeps by the male 

 characters, and the elytra comparatively longer than in 

 Halobrectha ; to IT. Halobrectha by its punctuation, which 

 is more sparing and shallow, bu^t rather coarser than in 

 puncticeps. The antennae have the penultimate joints 

 not so broad in proportion to their length as in ptmcticeps 

 and Halobrectha. The apex of the dorsal plate of the 

 seventh abdominal segment is truncate and narrow, the 

 truncate part is, however, not quite straight, but ob- 

 scurely produced in the middle. 



I have seen four specimens of this fine species, all, I 

 believe, taken in the Isle of Wight. They are none of 

 them in good condition, so that I have not given a de- 

 tailed description of minor points, but I have no doubt 

 they will prove a good and distinct species. These speci- 

 mens agree entirely among themselves, except that one 

 of them is rather darker than the others. 



Group VII. Head finely punctured, or nearly impunc- 

 tate. (Species 39 — 54) . 



This group is an entirely artificial one, containing a 

 number of very discrepant species. Its subdivision into 

 five or six others would, however, scarcely simplify 

 matters. H. occulta and its allies are found in fungi and 

 vegetable refuse ; mquata and linearis are bark or wood 

 species ; incana and nigell-a are confined to large marshes. 



