British Species of Homalota. 185 



yellowisli, with the antennae towards the apex^ the head, 

 and the abdomen more or less, blackish. The antennas 

 are moderately long, rather slender for the size of the 

 species, but little thickened towards the apex; joints two 

 and three of about equal length, four about as long as 

 broad, fi-om this to the tenth, but little difference between 

 the length and breadth of each joint; in some specimens, 

 however, the penultimate joints are distinctly transverse ; 

 the eleventh joint is gently pointed, not quite so long as 

 the two preceding together. Head blackish, with the 

 palpi and parts of the mouth testaceous, considerably 

 smaller than the thorax, flat above, and sometimes ob- 

 scurely impressed, distinctly but rather distantly punc- 

 tured, each puncture being distinguishable as a real im- 

 pression. The thorax is narrower than the elytra, about a 

 third broader than long, the sides nearly straight, round- 

 ed towards the anterior and posterior angles, rather 

 strongly and distantly punctured, the disc is flattish, with 

 more or less distinct indications of one or more shallow 

 impressions. The elytra are yellowish, a little darker in 

 the neighbourhood of the scutellum, the punctuation not 

 quite so coarse as that of the thorax, but rather closer. 

 The abdomen is somewhat variable in colour, blackish, the 

 base and apex sometimes obscurely, sometimes distinctly 

 paler; segments two to four are distinctly and pretty 

 densely punctured, fifth segment more sparingly punc- 

 tured, sixth nearly impunctate. Legs yellow. 



In the male, the third joint of the antennas is stouter 

 than in the female ; the sixth segment of the abdomen 

 is furnished above, just before the hind margin, with a 

 distinct raised tubercle ; the hind margin of the seventh 

 segment is provided with four distinct teeth, of which 

 the outer ones are the stouter, the two inner ones are 

 rather closer together, and are like tubercles ; the hind 

 margin of the same segment, underneath, is more round- 

 ed than in the female. 



In the female, the hind margin of the seventh dorsal 

 segment is slightly emarginate in the middle. 



Rather common in moss and dead leaves throughout 

 the country. 



Ohs. — This species varies somewhat in colour, size, and 

 punctuation of the head and thorax. Erichson divided 

 it into two species, H. hrunnea and depressa, which are 

 still maintained by Thomson. 



