200 GENUS TAXONUS. 



Seemingly not a common species. The only speci- 

 mens I have seen were taken by Mr. R. McLachlan in 

 the London district, and by Mr. Fletcher at Worcester. 



It has a wide distribution over the Continent, being 

 found in Sweden, Germany, Holland, France and 

 Russia. 



The imago appears, according to Hartig, on Sorbus 

 aucuparia. 



Genus TAXONUS. 



Taxonus, Htg., Blattw., 297. 



Ermelia, Costa, Fauna di Napoli, 1860. 



Wings with two radial and four sucubital cellules, the two former 

 equal in length, or the second longer than the first ; the third cubital 

 usually shorter than second, and dilated at apex. Transverse radial 

 nervure received near the third transverse cubital or united with it. 

 The second and third cubital receive each a recurrent nervure ; the 

 second is parallel with the basal. Lanceolate cellule with an oblique 

 cross nervure. Transverse median nervure usually received not far 

 from the middle of the median cellule. Posterior wings with the trans- 

 verse cubital and recurrent nervures absent, but present in one species 

 (agrorum) in the $ , while in the they (with the transverse median) 

 form a border round the edge of the wing. The accessory nervure is 

 scarcely appendiculate with some species and not at all with others. 

 Antennae short ; the third joint a little longer than fourth. Abdomen 

 depressed. Head subcubital, margined on top. Clypeus excised. Legs 

 longish ; tarsi as long as tibiae ; claws armed with a minute tooth ; 

 patellae small. 



Generally the body is smooth and shining, rarely 

 punctured on vertex and scutellum. The body is 

 either entirely black or black with the abdomen 

 banded with red; the legs are usually red, but are 

 black with one species. 



The genus perhaps has the greatest resemblance to 

 Emphytus, which it is not unlike in the form of the 

 head, antennse and abdomen, but differs in having 

 four cubital cellules. T. agrorum has the neuration of 

 the first section of Strong ylog aster, but the form of the 

 head and abdomen is different, the cross nervure in 

 lanceolate cellule is much more oblique, and the acces- 

 sory nervure in hind wing is not appendiculated. 



