134 SERRICORKFA. [Ancittronycltct. 



ANCISTR.ONYCHA, Maerkel. 



This gonns may be known from Tele/>twrus by the structure of the 

 tarsal claws, both of which are armed in the male with a small tooth, 

 and in the female with a spinifonn tooth at base ; it contains seven 

 European species, of which one is found in Britain ; it is a large and fine 

 insect with deep blue elytra and red thorax, and occurs rarely in hilly 

 and mountainous districts. 



A. abdominalia, F. (cyaneus, Curt.; tricolor, Steph.). A large and 

 conspicuous species ; head black with front reddish-testaceous, vertex 

 finely but distinctly punctured, eyes moderately prominent, antennae 

 long, black, with the first or first two joints testaceous, at all events 

 beneath, with third joint twice as long as second in the female and 

 about three times as long as second in male ; thorax reddish-yellow, 

 with the front part more or less dark ; elytra of a bright cyaneous colour, 

 rugosely punctured ; abdomen testaceous ; legs long, black. L. 10- 

 14 mm. 



Male smaller and narrower than female, with the second joint of the 

 antennae shorter and the thorax longer, and with sides straighter and less 

 rounded. 



By beating trees ; confined to mountainous and hilly districts, and always rare ; 

 Llttngollen (Rtston); Marple, Cheshire, and Miller's Dale, Derbyshire (Chappell) ; 

 Midgley Moor, Halifax ; Teesdale (Harris and Klatch) ; Cumberland ; Northumberland 

 and Durham district ; Scotland, Solway, Tweed, Forth, Tay, and Moray districts. 



TELEPHORUS, Schaeffer. (Cantharis, L.) 



This genus, in its widest sense, contains between three and four 

 hundred species, which are widely distributed over the surface of the 

 world; comparatively few, however, occur in tropical countries*; 

 about one hundred and thirty species are found in Europe ; of these 

 sixty-nine belong to Telephones proper, and the remainder must le 

 referred to Rliagonycka and Ancistronycha ; from the latter of these 

 genera the genus Telephorus is distinguished by having only the ex- 

 terior tarsal claw toothed at base, and from the former by not having the 

 tarsal claws apparently bifid. 



The Telephon are rather large and conspicuous insects, and many of 

 the species are very common during the spring and summer on Umbelli- 

 ferse and flowering plants and shrubs generally ; they fly rather slowly 

 and heavily ; their jaws are sharp and powerful, and they are very 

 voracious ; Professor Westwood says thnt the females do not even spare 



* Mr. Gorbam informs me that species apparently not separable from Telephorus 

 proper are found not only in the Falrearctic Zone, but in the tropical and south 

 temperate regions of the whole world ; the most brilliant species occur in India and 

 China ; there is, however, no doubt that many new genera must be formed. 



