British Species of Homalota. 181 



I am not able to point out characters to distinguish the 

 sexes. 



Local, but sometimes found in great abundance, espe- 

 cially in early spring. Wimbledon, Edinburgh, &c. 



Obs. — A small form of this species occurs, which be- 

 sides its smaUer size, is narrower, and of a more obscure 

 colour, with rather shorter antennse, and less transverse 

 thorax ; a specimen of it sent to Kraatz for examination, 

 some years back, was returned by him as a distinct species, 

 and it is possible it may prove to be so. I have found 

 it in very great abundance on Wimbledon Common, un- 

 accompanied by any of the larger typical form, which 

 indeed appears to be very rare near London. 



75. Homalota pallens. 



Testacea, abdomine ante apicem paulo obscuriore, ten- 

 uissime pubescens, obsoletissime punctata. Long. | lin. 



H. pallens, Eedt. Faun. Austr, (ed. i), 662; Kr. Ins. 

 Deutsch. ii. 261. 



Extremely like H. exilis, but smaller than even the 

 smallest variety of it, and of a uniform pale testaceous 

 colour; the fourth and fifth segments of the abdomen 

 being sometimes a little darker ; the punctuation and pu- 

 bescence are even finer and more delicate than in H. exi- 

 lis, and the elytra are a little shorter than is generally 

 the case in that species. 



Rare. Hitherto only found under stones, in rather 

 muddy places, on the banks of the Nith and Avon, in 

 Scotland. 



76. Homalota^ palleola. 



Testacea, capite elytrisque fusco-testaceis, abdomine 

 ante apicem piceo, nitidula, subtilissime punctata, tenuis- 

 sime pubescens ; abdomine basi parce obsolete punctate, 

 apice Igevigato. Long. | lin. 



Mas; abdomine segmento 7° dorsali apice truncato. 



E. palleola, Er, Kaf. Brand, i. 333 ; Gen. et Spec. Staph. 

 115; Kr. Ins. Deutsch. ii. 259; Wat. Cat. 



A very small, shining, prettily coloured species. Yel- 

 lowish, with the head and elytra more or less distinctly 

 darker, and the abdomen before the apex pitchy. The 

 antennae are stout, thickened towards the apex, third 



