The Beetles of the Moorlands 



Geodephagous beetle which at first sight looks some- 

 thing like a Carabus (Plate A, Fig. i), but its long 

 head, projecting palpi, small thorax, and long legs 

 will distinguish it at once from any member of that 

 genus. This is Cychrus rostratus (the beaked Cychrus), 

 Fig. 2, Plate B, and the only species we have of the genus. 

 It has the power of emitting a peculiar creaking noise 

 by rubbing its abdomen against the edges of its elytra, 

 as we shall discover if we pick it up. It is about 16 mm. 

 long, uniformly deep blue black in colour. As we have 

 said, the head is small and long, with large eyes and very 

 long palpi, the thorax disproportionately small, rounded 

 at the sides and contracted in a curve to the base, the 

 elytra oval and very convex, and the whole surface of 

 the beetle of a rough granulated appearance ; it is not 

 a common species although widely distributed, and 

 occurs in the hilly regions of Wales perhaps more 

 commonly than elsewhere. 



Then there is another small Brachelytron we are almost 

 sure to find in this moss, by pulling it to pieces or 

 under some stone ; it is Othius myrmccophilus (the Othius 

 that is the friend of ants, although more often than not 

 it is quite unassociated with any kind of ant), Fig. 4. 

 Plate V. We have already met with one Othius in dead 

 leaves (see Plate III, Fig. 12), and this is the same 

 build of insect only much smaller, being only 5 mm. long. 

 It is a very thin agile beetle with a long oblong black 

 head nearly as large as the thorax, which is also oblong 

 in shape, with the corners rounded off, and yellowish 

 brown in colour ; the elytra are rather longer than broad, 



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