British Species of Homalota. 229 



two to four finely, scarcely closely, punctured, fifth seg- 

 ment very sparingly punctured, sixth nearly impunctate. 

 The legs are testaceous, the tibiae a little lighter than 

 the femora. 



I am unable to point out satisfactory characters to 

 distinguish the male of this species. 



Rare. I have found it at Thornhill, and in Inverness- 

 shire. 



Obs. — This species is allied to H. indubia, but is dis- 

 tinguished by its shorter antennae more thickened to- 

 wards the apex, of which joints five to ten are distinctly 

 transverse, and the uncrenulate seventh abdominal seg- 

 ment of the male. 



120. Homalota mortuorum. 



Nigra, subopaca, thorace elytrisque confertim sub- 

 tiliter punctatis et tenuissime pubescentibus, pedibus 

 fuscis; abdomine supra segmentis 2-4 subtiliter punc- 

 tatis, 5° et 6° fere Isevigatis. Long. | lin. 



Atheta mortuorum, Th. Sk. Col. ix. 281. 



Closely allied to H. sericea, but smaller and blacker, 

 with the thorax and elytra thickly and finely punctured, 

 and densely and extremely finely pubescent ; the antennte 

 also are shorter than in H. sericea, the basal joints being 

 less elongate. The antennae are black, short and stout, 

 thickened towards the apex; joint two short and stout, 

 longer than three, three short and triangular, four to ten 

 distinctly transverse, this last strongly so ; eleventh joint 

 stout, about twice the length of the tenth. The head is 

 black, dull, finely and indistinctly punctured, with an 

 indistinct impression on the middle. The thorax is a 

 little narrower than the elytra, its breadth about one- 

 third greater than its length, dull, thickly and very 

 finely punctured, sometimes with a short channel in front 

 of the scutellum. The elytra are rather short, about a 

 fourth longer than the thorax, very finely and densely 

 punctured and pubescent. The abdomen is black and 

 moderately shining, segments two to four finely and 

 rather sparingly punctured, five and six almost impunc- 

 tate. Legs pitchy. 



The male appears to difier but little from the female. 



Rare. I have found it only in Scotland, at Rannoch 

 in Perthshire, and at Thornhill. 



