Common Beetles of our Countryside 



in this Metabletus it is distinctly transverse, that is, 

 broader than long. 



Our second species is quite unlike either of them ; it 

 is a very common beetle, almost anywhere, and can be 

 taken by sweeping as well as in moss. It is called 

 Demetrias atricapillus (the Demetrias with the black 

 hair-like line), Fig. 9, Plate IV., much larger than the 

 Blechms, being over 5 mm. in length, narrow, parallel 

 sided, and elongate, with a long black head, a small red 

 thorax, longer than broad and much narrowed behind, 

 and straw-coloured elytra with a narrow black line down 

 their centre (whence its specific name) and a series of 

 rather fine punctured lines, the punctures being darker, 

 down each elytron, legs and antennae yellow-red. There 

 is only one other species of the genus Demetrias in this 

 country; it is called D. unipunctatus and differs from 

 atricapillus by having a black spot at the apex of the 

 elytra, otherwise it is very similar but much less common. 

 It can be found on the sand hills of Deal, in the fen 

 country and a few other localities. 



There is one other beetle belonging to the same section 

 but much more resplendent than either of these two last 

 captures, which if luck favours us might drop out of the 

 disrupted moss ; if so, we shall know it directly as it runs 

 across the paper. It is about 6 mm. long, with the head 

 and elytra shining bluish-green and the thorax red. This 

 is Lebia chlorocephala (the green-headed Lebia), Fig. 12, 

 Plate IV. The antennae are black, with the first three 

 joints red, the thorax broader than long with the 

 posterior angles distinct right angles, the elytra oval, 



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