Lampyris.\ 



met with it in many districts (Knowlo, Hewdley, Sherwood, Cannock Cliaso, <tc.) ; in 

 the extreme northern counties it is apparently not uncommon, hut local ; Scotland, 

 local, Solway, Tweed, Clyde, Forth, and Tay districts ; Ireland, mar Castlek nock, 

 Dundrum, &c. ; probably found in many districts, but not recorded. 



In the Catalogue of the Coleoptera of Swansea and neighbourhood, 

 Mr. Dillwyn (p. 34) gives the following note on this insect : " Not 

 uncommon on dry hedge banks; but the light is not so brilliant as it is 

 in chalky soils, nor have I here observed the small light in the males, 

 which is always sufficiently obvious about Dover." 



Mr. Dale (History of Glanvilles Wootton, p. 97) says that in some 

 autumns the males fly into the house in great numbers, and that the 

 female is sometimes met with in winter time amongst rubbish. 



PHOSPHJENUS, Laporte. 



This genus is distinguished by the very short elytra of the male 

 and the long antenna?, and also by having the prothoracic stigma 

 hidden; the eyes are of moderate size ; one species only appears to be 

 known, which is somewhat widely distributed in Europe, but has only 

 been found in Britain at Lewes and Hastings ; it was thought possible 

 that a colony might have been imported and then established itself at 

 Lewes, but the record from Hastings makes this less probable. 



P. hemipteruB, Geoff, Fuscous-black or fuscous, clothed with 

 sparing greyish pubescence ; the two last segments of the body (whence 

 the light proceeds) are obscurely whitish, especially beneath ; head 

 small with eyes moderately large, usually covered by thorax ; antenna; 

 fuscous, long and stout ; thorax rather long, rounded in front, uneven, 

 somewhat coarsely punctured ; elytra very short, dull, finely sculptured, 

 strongly dehiscent ; abdomen somewhat widened behind, penultimate 

 joint emarginate in a semicircle, broader than last joint, posterior angles 

 of segments marked, upper surface rugosely sculptured ; legs stout, 

 fuscous, rather short, with short and stout tarsi. L. 5^-7 mm. 



In the female there are no wings or elytra; the antennae are shorter 

 with narrower joints, and the thorax is shorter and broader; this sex 

 appears always to be extremely rare. 



The male has been taken in some numbers at Lewes by Miss Hopley, 

 Mr. Morris, and others, crawling on and about walls; I am not aware 

 whether the female has occurred in tin- locality; Mr. Butler has also 

 recorded the species very rarely from Hastings; the insect has the 

 power of counterfeiting death if disturbed; the larva much resembles 

 those of the other Lampyridae; it is alwr.t S unit, long, narrowed in 

 front ami behind, black and somewhat shining, with the greater part of 

 the under-side, whitish, especially at sides; it appears to be carnivorous 

 like tin- larva of /.unijn/ris. 



K i' 



