The Beetles of the Downs 



rather wider behind, faintly punctured and striated, and 

 the legs red. This is one of the most effectively coloured 

 Geodephagous beetles we possess; it is by no means 

 common but is fairly widely distributed over the country 

 and is in some way associated with broom, out of which 

 it can sometimes be beaten. There are four other species 

 of Lebia, one rather similar to chlorocephala called 

 cyanocephala, but rarer, and differs in having only the 

 first joint of the antennae red instead of the first three, 

 and also the legs black and red instead of quite red. This 

 species can sometimes be taken in moss or under stones 

 on such places as Box or Buckland Hill, the other three 

 species are all excessively rare. Then we ought to find 

 among the small stones or at the roots of the grass certain 

 species of Brachelytra, which it will be remembered is that 

 section of Clavicorina with very short elytra and very 

 long flexible hind bodies. 



The first is pretty sure to be a small reddish beetle, 

 very fusiform in shape that is, narrowed to a point at 

 either end called Tachyporus chrysomelinus (the gilded 

 Tachyporus), Fig. 10, Plate IV. ; it is only about 3 mm. 

 long, with the head black, the thorax rufous, the elytra 

 brownish red, darker at the margins, especially the sides, 

 and hind body black, the legs reddish yellow and the 

 antennae black with the first few j oints red. The peculiar 

 shape, small size and black and red coloration will 

 always distinguish a Tachyporus, but to separate the 

 species is more difficult there are about a dozen British 

 species of them, but this and another called T. hypnorum 

 are by far the most abundant, in fact one can hardly 



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