104 SBRRICORNIA. [Sericoaomus. 



at sides dark; the breast and base of abdomen is also blackish; some- 

 times the whole upper surface is ferruginous or reddish-brown. 



Snndy places; under stones, &c. ; occasionally by sweeping; local and, as n rule, 

 not common ; Chobham, Surrey ; Esher ; New Forest (where it is more common) ; 

 Cannock Chase; Burnt Wood, Staffordshire ; Cheshire; Scotland, local, Solway, 

 Tuy, Dee, and Morny districts. 



The Elaterfugax of Fabricius is evidently the male of this insect, and 

 his E. brunneus the female, as lie distinctly describes the latter as 

 " thorace rufo, medio nigro, elytris corporeque ferrugineis " (Syst El. ii. 

 237); Thomson, however (Skand. Col. vi. 97), mentions the JE.fugax of 

 Gyllenhal as the female; Gyllenhal's description, however, of E. fuyax 

 (Ins. Suec. i. 428) appears to refer to the variety of the male with 

 castaneous elytra; he mentions the insect as being found on umbelliferous 

 plants, particularly Heracleum. 



SYNAPTTJS, Eschscholtz. (Ctenonychus, Stephens.) 



This genus is distinguished by having the third joint furnished with 

 a very large membranous lobe beneath; the prosternal sutures are 

 dilated in front and excavate, and the tarsal claws are pectinate; it is 

 closely allied to Adrastus, under which it is included by Thomson and 

 other authors; there is only one species belonging to the genus which 

 is found in Europe, Armenia, and Siberia; it occurs very rarely in 

 Britain. 



S. filiformis, F. (Adrastus filiformis, Thorns.; Ctenonychus liirsntus, 

 Steph.). A rather large, elongate, and subcylindrical species, black, or 

 pitchy brown, clothed with long and thick recumbent gre} r ish pubescence, 

 which gives the insect a leaden grey appearance; head thickly punctured, 

 antennae rather long, pitchy or reddish, with the second joint slightly 

 shorter than third; thorax longer than broad, distinctly punctured, more 

 thickly at sides, with an obsolete central furrow, posterior angles pro- 

 jecting and divaricate, sides rounded and contracted in front, sinuate 

 before posterior angles; scutellum large, thickly pubescent; elytra long, 

 gradually narrowed to apex, with rather fine punctured striae, interstices 

 thickly and finely punctured; legs pitchy or reddish, with tarsi usually 

 lighter. L. 9-10 mm. 



By sweeping grass at the sides of water, &c. ; rare ; Bristol (Stephens) ; Tintern, 

 Monmouthshire ; Gloucester, banks of Newent Canal ; South Wales. Mr. Allen 

 Harker records it as " rather common by sweeping long grass under hedges by canal 

 banks iu Gloucestershire. June." 



ADRASTUS, Eschscholtz. 



is nine species, all of which occi 



jdonia; our common species ^_ 



strong superficial resemblance to Ayriotcs pallidulus, but may easily bo 



This genus contains nine species, all of which occur in Europe, except 

 one from New Caledonia; our common species A. limbatus bears 



