British Species of Homalota, 253 



142. Homalota parva. 



Nigra, nitidula, crebre punctata, et distincte pubes- 

 cens ; thorace transverse, basi obsolete canaliculato ; pedi- 

 bus piceis; abdomine apicem versus sat fortiter attenuate, 

 segmentis 2-4 crebre, 5° et 6° parcius punctatis. Long. 

 1 lin. 



Mas; abdomine segmento 7° ventrali margine pos- 

 teriore rotundato. 



Fern.; abdomine segmento 7° ventrali apice medio 

 exciso. 



Aleochara parva, Sahl. Ins. Fenn. i. 380 ; H. parva, 

 Wat. Cat. H. cauta, Er. Gen. et Spec. Staph. 122; Kr. 

 Ins. Deutsch. ii. 318; Atheta cauta, Th. Sk. Col. iii. 91. 



A small, black, and shining species, with rather rough 

 punctuation and pubescence. The antennae are mo- 

 derately long, not stout, but slightly thickened towards 

 the apex ; joints two and three moderately long, slender, 

 three scarcely so long as two, four about as long as broad, 

 the following ones slightly transverse, the tenth scarcely 

 more so than the sixth; eleventh joint gently pointed, 

 quite as long as the two preceding together. The head 

 is rather small, a little narrower than the thorax, much 

 narrower than the elytra, pretty closely and distinctly 

 punctured. The thorax is a little narrower than the 

 elytra, its breadth not half as great again as its length, the 

 sides are gently rounded, and it is a little narrower at 

 the anterior than at the posterior angles ; it is moderately 

 closely and finely, rather roughly punctured, the sides 

 with distinct outstanding hairs ; in front of the scutellum 

 with a short indistinct channel. The elytra are black or 

 pitchy, a little longer than the thorax, closely and mo- 

 derately finely punctured. The abdomen is black, dis- 

 tinctly narrowed towards the apex, segments two to four 

 distinctly and pretty closely, fifth segment more sparingly, 

 sixth very sparingly, punctured ; the outstanding setse of 

 the sides and apex are distinct. The legs are pitchy, the 

 four posterior tibiae each with two fine exserted setae, of 

 which the lower one is considerably the longer. 



In the male, the upper and under plates of the seventh 

 abdominal segment are without any particular structure, 

 while in the female the hind margin of the under plate is 

 ciliate, and excised in the middle. 



Very common, in dung, as well as in other situations, 

 all over the country. 



t2 



