364 PHYTOPHAGA. [PtiyUotreta. 



rately rounded at apex, not entirely covering pygidium, thickly and 

 confusedly punctured, the punctuation being a little stronger than that 

 of thorax ; legs dark, knees and tarsi reddish. L. 2f-2^ mm. 



Male with the fourth joint of the antennae very strongly dilated, and 

 the fifth evidently dilated, and with the last ventral segment depressed 

 towards apex. 



On Reteda lutea and Senecio jacobaea; local, but common where it occurs; 

 Micklebam, Dareuth, Shirley, Reigate, Caterham, Chatham, Maidstone, A vl-liam, 

 Headley Lane, Ac. ; Wicken Feu ; Cromer ; Brandon, Suffolk ; Birchington ; 

 Margate ; Portsmouth district ; Isle of Wight ; Glanvilles Wootton ; Swansea ; 

 Ticknall Quarry, near Repton, Burton-on-Treut (W. Gurneys). 



P. nigripes, F. (lepidii, Koch). A rather long and flat species, of 

 a distinct bluish or greenish-blue colour, with the thorax often slightly 

 coppery ; head between eyes diffusely and obsoletely punctured in six or 

 eight irregular rows, antennae black, similar in the sexes ; thorax half as 

 broad again as long, narrowed in front, thickly and very finely punc- 

 tured ; elytra long, separately rounded at apex, more finely punctured 

 than in any of the allied species ; legs black, sometimes partly pitchy. 

 L. 2|-2i mm. 



On CntcifercB ; locally common ; London and southern districts, widely distributed ; 

 apparently rare in the Midlands, and not recorded from the northern counties; the 

 only Scotch record is " Raehille, Rev. W. Little," Murray's Cat. ; Ireland, Howth, 

 Dublin, Waterford, and Belfast; the only record from the Midland counties of 

 England that I know of is Needwood, near Burton-on-Trent (Rev. H. S. Gorham). 



P. consobrina, Curt, (melcena, 111. et auct. (pars) ). This species is 

 allied both to P. punctulata and P. nigripes ; from the former it may be 

 known by its stronger metallic reflection and especially by the unicolorous 

 black antennae, and from the latter it may be separated by its darker 

 colour and evidently stronger punctuation, as well as by the fact that 

 the male has the third, fourth, and fifth joints of the antennae not 

 strongly, but evidently, incrassate. L. 2-2|- mm. 



Sandy and chalky places ; on Cruci ferae, &c. ; as a rule, not common, but, as above 

 stated, recorded by the Rev. T. Wood as doing great damage to seedling cabbages, 

 brocoli, &c., at St. Peter's, Thanet ; Micklehaua ; Birdbrook, Essex, in abundance 

 (Power) ; Maidstone ; West Wickham ; Norfolk ; Hastings ; Soutbsea ; New Forest ; 

 Isle of Wights Seaton Down, Devon ; Bristol; Henley; Repton (W. Garneys). 



According to Weise (Naturgesichte der Insecten Deutschlands, vi. 

 p. 885), the H. meltena of Stephens (111. iv. 298, Man. 292) must be 

 referred in part to P. proccra, Redt., a species not hitherto recorded as 

 British ; Stephens' description is so meagre that it is hard to say how 

 this conclusion has been arrived at ; it is, however, quite possible that 

 the last-named insect may be British, although the probabilities seem 

 rather against it, as it is usually found in Central and Southern Europe, 

 and is very abundant in North Africa ; it is rather narrow and depressed, 

 obscurely aeneous, with the antennae, tibiae and tarsi black, and may 

 be known from P. consulrina by having the prosternuin broader between 



