British Species of Homalota. 203 



Mas; abdomine segmento 7° dorsali apice truncate, 

 et obsolete obtuse quadridentato. 



H. holetohia, Th. Ofv. Vet. Ac. Forh. 1856, p. 96; Athe- 

 ta holetohia, Th. Sk. Col. iii. 78. H. nigritula, Kr. Ins. 

 Deutsch. ii. 276; Wat. Cat. 



A rather broad and short species. The antennae are 

 rather short, a little thickened towards the apex, pitchy, 

 with the two or three basal joints paler ; joint three scarce- 

 ly so long as two, four small, but little broader than three, 

 broader than long, five to ten distinctly and pretty strongly 

 transverse ; eleventh joint moderately long, about half as 

 long again as the tenth. The head is broad and short, 

 narrower than the thorax, rather shining, finely and in- 

 distinctly punctured. The thorax is black or pitchy, 

 nearly as broad as the elytra, not quite twice as broad 

 as long, nearly straight in front, gently rounded at the 

 sides and base, with an indistinct impression or channel 

 in front of the scutellum, rather finely and not closely 

 punctured. The elytra are a third longer than the thorax, 

 pale yellow, darker about the scutellum, and at the sides 

 towards the apical angles, pretty finely and closely punc- 

 tured. The abdomen is black, or pitchy-black, sometimes 

 a little paler at the extremity ; segments two to four are 

 rather distinctly but not closely punctured, fifth segment 

 punctured at the base, almost smooth at the apex, sixth 

 almost impunctate. Legs pale yellow. 



In the male, the posterior margin of the seventh seg- 

 ment of the abdomen is truncate, and a little thickened, 

 with four obtuse obsolete teeth; these teeth are rather 

 undulations of the margin, than to be distinguished as 

 distinct projections. 



Not very common. In fungi in the South, in autumn. 



Chs. — Kraatz's description of H. nigritula, as well as 

 specimens sent by him to the British Museum under 

 that name, are to be referred to this species. Its much 

 shorter broader form, shorter antennae, and paler elytra, 

 should prevent its being confounded with H. xantJwpus . 



96. Homalota nigritula. 



Nigro-picea, vix nitida, subtiliter punctulata; thorace 

 transverse, piceo ; antennis elytris pedibusque testaceis ; 



TRANS. ENT. SOC. 1869. PART III. (jUNE) . Q 



