( 271 ) 



XXX. Remarks on the Synonymes of the Genus Acan- 

 thosoma, as regards the British Species. By John 

 Curtis, Esq., F.L.S., &c. 



[Read 2nd February, 1852.] 



When the Second Edition of the First Volume of my British 

 Entomology was called for, I revised my genus Acanthosoma,* 

 giving short descriptions, and adding the localities, &c, of the 

 species, which I then believed to amount to five, in consequence 

 of Mr. Davis having found a specimen, apparently different to 

 A. agathina, Fab., but which probably was a variety only of 

 that species. Mr. Dallas does not appear to have seen this re- 

 print of my genus at the time his "Note on the British Species"f 

 was published, and as I differ from him and M. Amyot, especi- 

 ally regarding one of the species, I wish to call attention to this 

 singular genus of Hemiptera. 



According to my views the nomenclature stands thus: — 



1. Acanthosoma hemorrhoidal, Linn., Fab. &c. ; Acanthosoma, 



Amyot. 



2. Acanthosoma dentatum, De Geer, Dallas ; liturata, Fab., 



Curt. ; Hcematogaster, Amyot. 



3. Acanthosoma pictipenne, Newm. ; picta, Newm., Curt. ; litu- 



ralum, Dall. ; Saranus, Amyot. 



4. Acanthosoma griseum, Linn., Curt., Dall. ; agathina, Fab., 



Curt. ; Meatus, Amyot. 



Of A. liturata, Fabricius says, " C. viridis fusco-irroratus, tho- 

 race fascia elytris litura sanguineis," J and again, " Thorax et 

 elytra viridia punctis numerosissimis impressis fuscis, thorace fascia 

 postica, elytris litura sanguineis. Abdomen supra atrum, subtus 

 flavescens ulrinque linea punctorum nigrorum." Fabricius takes 

 no notice of the length of the basal joint of the antennae, and 

 therefore it is presuming a fact not established, when M. Amyot 

 places A. lituratus, Fab. in the Section 10, "characterized by the 

 basal joint of the antennae not extending beyond the extremity of 

 the head. " § Now the head, thorax and elytra are thickly 

 sprinkled with fuscous punctures in A. dentatum, but they are not 

 visible to the naked eye in A. pictipenne from their being green, 



* Curtis's Brit. Ent. fol. and pi. 28. 



f Trans. Ent. Soc. New Series, vol. i. p. 109. 



% Ent. Syst. vol. iv. p. 114 



§ Ann. de la Soc. Ent. de France, Second Series, vol. iii. p. 458. 



