Common Beetles of our Countryside 



to find in the net before we have swept very far. One 

 is particularly active and leaps about with all the 

 agility of another insect better known than liked, 

 called Pulex irritans ; a good many will so escape, 

 but it will be in some numbers and at last we can get 

 a wet finger on one and transfer it to the laurel bottle. 

 It is one of the genus Longitarsus which belongs to 

 the group Phytophaga, and is one of the largest genera of 

 a section or family of that group called Halticida. 

 This family contains about eighteen British genera, all 

 of which have the power of leaping long distances 

 largely developed ; for this purpose, like the Orchestes, 

 whose acquaintance we have already made (Fig. n, 

 Plate IV.), the hind thighs are very much thickened 

 and of course the muscles which work them corre- 

 spondingly developed. This species we have now 

 swept from the bugloss is Longitarsus exoletus (the 

 full-grown Longitarsus, alluding to its size), Fig. 7, 

 Plate IV. It is one of the larger members of the genus, 

 attaining a length of 3 mm., oval and convex, the head 

 dark, the thorax reddish-yellow and the elytra straw- 

 coloured, sometimes with a median line somewhat 

 reddish, the whole surface finely punctured. The 

 antennae are very long, reddish-brown with the first 

 joints yellow ; the legs also are long, more especially 

 the hinder pair and the hinder thighs, as already stated, 

 very strongly thickened, and dark brown ; the size, colour 

 and these dark hind thighs will enable us to recognize 

 this species, especially as it is the only Longitarsus 

 which we are likely to sweep in numbers off the viper's 



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