A HISTORY OF WARWICKSHIRE 



species of water beetles occur in the adjoining counties which have not 

 yet been recorded from Warwickshire. 



Of the Brachelytra a large number of species occur at Cannock 

 Chase, Bewdley, Sherwood Forest, Church Stretton, Trench Woods and 

 Budde'n Woods which have not been found in our county, and of the 

 other sections the following insects may perhaps be mentioned : Triplax 

 russtca and eenea, Teredus nitiaus, Gnathoncus rotunaatus, Plagaderus dissec- 

 fus, Thymalus limbatus, Antheropbagus nigricornis, Byrrbus fasciatus and 

 dorsalis, Georyssus pygnuzus^ Macronycbus quadrituberculatus, Trox sabulosus, 

 Elater coccineus and pomorum, Athous rhombeus, Clytus mysficus, Pachyta 

 collaris and octomaculata, Strangalia quadrifaciata and nigra, Melasoma 

 ceneum, Tropideres sepzco/a, Apion jilirostre, and some hundreds of others 

 which cannot be referred to. 



Warwickshire has however produced a fairly large number of 

 species when compared to other counties. It has been said that the 

 midlands are not productive of a large and varied insect fauna, and that 

 in the British Isles the further west investigations are made the less 

 insect life appears to thrive. While to a certain extent this may be 

 true, it is nevertheless a fact that the more a district is worked the more 

 species does it reveal. 



It is of course impossible to make a county list of Coleoptera com- 

 plete, as at any time further species may be found in the district. The 

 Rev. J. H. Bloom of Whitchurch Rectory in the space of a few months 

 last year added several species to our county fauna by collecting in the 

 neighbourhood of Stratford-on-Avon. 



Mention has been made of some of the more remarkable beetles 

 which occur in the immediate neighbourhood, but which have not been 

 recorded from the county, and the following remarks regarding the 

 families and more notable species which have appeared within our 

 limits may be interesting. 



Of the Geodephaga, which embraces 310 British species, we find 138 

 occurring in Warwickshire. The beautiful species Cicindela campestris, 

 which is very active and voracious, is extremely abundant at certain 

 seasons, and the elegant beetle Cychrus rostratus is occasionally taken 

 throughout the district. Five species of Carabus, four of Notiophilus and 

 four of Leistus occur. 



Elapbrus riparius and E. cupreus, both very beautiful insects, may 

 sometimes be taken in the utmost profusion on mud flats near streams 

 and ponds. Clivina collaris, Badister sodalis, Chlcenius vestitus, C. nigri- 

 cornis and Oodes helopioides occur but sparingly in a few localities. 



The genera Harpalus and Pterostichus are fairly well represented, 

 and the commoner species of Amara are numerous. The rarer ones, 

 A. ovata, A. acuminata and A. nitiaa, occur in certain localities. 



Taphria nrualis has turned up occasionally at Knowle. Fifteen 

 species of the genus Ancbomenus occur, amongst which may be mentioned 

 A. marginatus, which is common locally ; A. graci/is, A. thoreyi and A. 

 puellus. 



78 



