120 SERRICORNIA. [Helodef. 



in marshy or damp places; common and generally distributed throughout the 

 kingdom. 



K. marg-inata, F. (trilineata, Chevr.). Oval, clothed with silky 

 pubescence ; allied to the preceding, but easily recognized by its colour, 

 the head being black or pitchy brown, and the thorax black witli the 

 margins more or less broadly yellow ; antennae black with base yellow, 

 first or first and second joints black, or spotted with black ; elytra 

 varying from black or pitchy black to a greyish-yellow testaceous colour 

 with suture, apex, and sides dark, thickly punctured, with traces of 

 raised lines ; legs dark, with knees, and sometimes tarsi and tibiae, 

 obscurely yellowish. L. 3a-4 mm . 



Male with the antennae clothed with short and thick whitish 

 pubescence, abdomen with the last segment slightly emarginate at 

 apex! 



By sweeping in moist places ; rather local in England; Hastings; Southampton; 

 Glanvilles Wootton ; Devon; Bath; Swansea; Midland districts, generally dis- 

 tributed, Birmingham district, Burton, Dove Dale, &c. ; Hale, Cheshire ; North- 

 umberland and Durham district; Scotland, common ou herbage near burns, Solwuy, 

 Forth, Clyde, Tay, Dee, and Moray districts ; Ireland, Armagh, common. 



Besides the difference in colour, this species may be distinguished 

 from the preceding by its shorter form, more closely punctured elytra, 

 the more acute posterior angles of the thorax, and the shorter posterior 

 tarsi. 



IVIICROCARA, Thomson. 



The species belonging to this genus have been by most authors 

 included under Helodes ; they may, however, be distinguished by having 

 the third joint of the antennas larger and not transverse, the thorax 

 shorter, the eyes smaller and less prominent, and the intermediate coxae 

 separated by a small interval ; we possess as British two out of the 

 three European species, but one of these, M. Bohemanni, appears to be 

 merely a variety of M. livida. 



UK. livida, F. (testacea, L.). Oblong-oval, subconvex, somewhat de- 

 pressed on disc, rather dull, clothed with pale pubescence of a livid or 

 brownish-testaceous colour; head small, eyes black, prominent, antennae 

 fuscous with base lighter ; thorax very transverse, more than double as 

 broad as long, thickly and finely punctured, posterior angles very blunt, 

 hind margin strongly sinuate ; scutellum large, finely punctured ; elytra 

 rather broad, subparallel, sometimes a little darker at suture and towards 

 apex, thickly and distinctly punctured, with traces of raised lines ; legs 

 reddish-testaceous. L. 3^-4^ mm. 



Male with the fourth and fifth segments of the abdomen furnished 

 with a setigerous pore. 



By sweeping herbage in damp places, also by beating hedges ; common and gene- 

 rally distributed throughout the greater part of the kingdom. 



