14 ^Ir. D. iShurp on the Species of Philhydrus 



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

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

 which had been coHeeted in the Canary Ishinds by the Messrs. 

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

 differed from our British individuals of that sj)ecies. As the 

 P. )»<(n'fiiinis is not included in Mr. AVolhiston's ' Coleoptera 

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

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

 tion such specimens oi' P/i i /It i/Jrus from the Madeiran, Cana- 

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

 him ; and as we have found two species amongst them which 

 are apparently undescribed, and have ascertained also that the 

 one Avhich he liad regarded as the meJanocephalus of Olivier is 

 better identified with what I believe to be Kiister's politusj 

 found in Mediterranean latitudes, I have thought that it might 

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

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

 regret, however, that I have not sufficient examples before me 

 to enable me in ever?/ case to decide positively whether certain 

 fomis 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. p. 96 (1860). 



The entirely pale upper surface 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. 



Inhahits the Canarian archipelago, a few examples of it 

 having been found by the Messrs. Crotch in Gomera. 



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



P. oblongo-ovalis, convexus, nitidus, niger, prothoracis elj^rorumque 

 marginibus fusco-testaceis, capita maculis dxiabus ante oculos, 

 tarsis, antennis (clava excepta) palpisque rufo-tcstaceis, his arti- 

 culo secundo basi infuscato ; prothorace crcbre siibtiliter punctate ; 

 elytris parce subtiliu:s punctatis, scriebus tribus punctorum ma- 

 jorum impressis. 



Long, fere 3 lin. 



Mas tarsorum unguiculis fere angulatim curvatis, basi dente valido 

 instructis. 



Foem. tarsorum unguiculis basi dentc minore instructis, 



Inhahits the Madeiran and Canarian archipelagos, the exact 

 form defined above (which I have regarded as the type) having 



