British Species of Homalota. 143 



where they occur amongst reeds ; debilis and angustula 

 are damp moss species ; and the very peculiar H. ccesula 

 occurs only in very dry, sandy places. H. subglabra 

 might, perhaps, be quite as correctly placed near H. 



palustris. 



39. Homalota occulta. 



Linearis, subdepressa, antice subopaca, sculptura sub- 

 tiliore, nigra, elytris fuscis, pedibus fusco-testaceis ; an- 

 tennis apicem versus vix incrassatis ; thorace transversim 

 subquadrato, basin versus vix angustato; elytris aluta- 

 ceis ; abdomine nitidulo, basi parce punctate, apice fere 

 Isevigato. Long. 1|-1| lin. 



Mas; antennis articulo 3° crassiore, abdomine seg- 

 mento 7° dorsali, lateribus et apice, reflexo-marginato, 

 apice late obsolete emarginato. 



li. occulta, Er. Kiif. Brand, i. 317 ; Gen. et Spec. 

 Staph. 83; Kr. Ins. Deutsch. ii. 233; Bessohia occulta, 

 Th. Sk. Col. iii. 43. 



Antennae entirely black, moderately stout, but scarcely 

 thickened towards the apex ; first joint stout and rather 

 long, two and three of about equal length ; four to ten 

 differing but little in length, seven to ten not quite so 

 long as broad ; eleventh joint about half as long again as 

 the tenth. Head smaller than the thorax, dull, its sculp- 

 ture very indistinct, with a shallow impression on the 

 disc, more evident in the male than in the female. The 

 thorax is a little narrower than the elytra, about a third 

 broader than long, slightly narrowed behind, its sculpture 

 fine, not very dense, with a not very distinct impression 

 in the front of the base in the middle. Elytra about one- 

 third longer than the thorax, of a peculiar dull pitchy- 

 testaceous colour, alutaceous, punctuation or sculpture 

 being scarcely visible. Abdomen black and shining, 

 segments two to four sparingly punctured, five and six 

 almost impunctate. Legs pitchy-testaceous. 



In the male, the third joint of the antennse is much 

 stouter than in the female, and the impression on the 

 middle of the head is more evident. The dorsal plate of 

 the seventh abdominal segment has the sides very dis- 

 tinctly raised, the apical margin also raised, but not so 

 distinctly as the sides, the apex itself is broadly, but 

 very indistinctly, emarginate. 



