14 Mr. D. Sharp on the Species o/" Pliilhydrus 



mens in my possession of the same genus from other parts of 

 the world, I was surprised to find, amongst some material 

 which had been collected in the Canary Islands by the Messrs. 

 Crotch, examples of the P. maritimus, Th., which in no way 

 differed from our British individuals of that species. As the 

 P. maritimus is not included in Mr. Wollaston's ' Coleoptera 

 Atlantidum,' I communicated the fact in a letter to that 

 gentleman ; and in return he kindly sent to me for examina- 

 tion such specimens oi PMlhydrus from the Madeiran, Cana- 

 rian, and Cape- Verde archipelagos as were still accessible to 

 him ; and as we have found t^v^o species amongst them which 

 are ap])arently undescribed, and have ascertained also that the 

 one which he had regarded as the meJanocejyhalus of Olivier is 

 better identified with what I believe to be Kllster's lyolitus^ 

 found in Mediterranean latitudes, I have thought that it might 

 not be amiss to call attention to the several species, collec- 

 tively, which have hitherto been observed in those islands. I 

 regret, hoAvever, that I have not sufiicient examples before me 

 to enable me in every case to decide positively Avhether certain 

 fonns should be treated as distinct species or not ; and in order 

 therefore to avoid encumbering the Atlantic Catalogue un- 

 necessarily, I have regarded all such doubtful ones as varieties^ 

 and thus can distinguish with certainty but four species, which 

 are as follows : — 



1. Philhydrus maritimus^ Th., Sk. Col. ii. jd. 96 (1860). 



The entirely pale upper sm-face of this species, as well as 

 the stronger punctuation of its elytra, are characters amply 

 sufficient to distinguish it at a glance from any of the fol- 

 lowing. 



Inhabits the Canarian archipelago, a few examples of it 

 having been found by the Messrs. Crotch in Gomera. 



2. Philhydrus politus^ Kiist., Kaf. Eur. 18. 9 (1849). 



P. oblongo-ovalis, convexus, nitidus, niger, prothoracis elytrorumque 

 marginibus fusco-testaceis, capite maculis duabus ante ociilos, 

 tarsis, antennis (clava excepta) palpisque mfo-testaceis, his arti- 

 culo secundo basi infuscato ; prothorace crebre subtiliter punctato ; 

 elytris parce BubtiHus punctatis, seriebus tribus punctorum ma- 

 jorum impressis. 



Long, fere 3 lin. 



Mas tarsorum unguiculis fere angulatim curvatis, basi dente valido 

 instructis. 



Foem. tarsorum unguiculis basi dente minora instructis. 



Inhabits the Madeiran and Canarian archipelagos, the exact 

 form defined above (which I have regarded as the type) ha^ang 



