178 OLAVICORNIA. [Coccidula. 



Male with prosternal lines distinct, female without or with obsolete 

 prosternal lines. 



In marshy places, amongst reeds, at roots of grass, &c. ; very common and gene- 

 rally distributed throughout the greater part of England, but not so common in 

 the north ; Scotland, not common, Solway and Forth districts ; Ireland, near Belfast 

 and Portmarnock, and probably common. 



C. scutellata, Herbst. Very like the preceding in size, shape, and 

 general appearance, but easily distinguished by the fact that the elytra 

 are marked with a large bluish black patch at scutellum and two others 

 on each, one circular, situated near suture, just behind middle, and 

 another oblong near sides, situated about middle ; sometimes these are 

 confluent ; the post-coxal f ovese of the first ventral segment of abdomen 

 are shorter, and are lunate instead of being semicircular, as in C. rufa. 

 L. 2f-3 mm. 



In marshy places, on reeds and by sweeping aquatic plants ; very local ; London 

 district, not uncommon, Esher, Hammersmith, Gravesend, Sheerness; Birchington 

 (abundant in ditches) ; Pegwell Bay ; Hastings j Horning Fen ; Repton ; Lincoln- 

 shire ; not recorded from the north of England or from Scotland. 



ENDOMYCHIDJE. 



This family is a somewhat extensive one ; according to the Munich 

 catalogue it contains about fifty genera and upwards of four hundred 

 species ; the number, however, has since been largely increased through 

 the researches of the Rev. H. S. Gorham and others ; the species are 

 widely distributed over the surface of the globe, but are chiefly found in 

 tropical countries ; in Europe the family is represented by seventeen 

 genera and about sixty species ; of these only four genera, each contain, 

 ing one species, are found in Britain ; one of these, Alexia, has, by 

 many authors, been included under the Coccinellida? ; the following are 

 some of the chief characters of the family : antennae long, situated on 

 the front, as a rule 11-jointed, the last three joints sometimes, but not 

 always, forming a distinct club ; thorax margined, anterior coxal cavities 

 open behind ; mesosternum short, metasternum rather long ; abdomen 

 with five free segments of which the first is sometimes the longest ; legs 

 much longer, as a rule, than in the Coccinellidae, tarsi plainly 4-jointed 

 or apparently 3-jointed, the third joint being very small and concealed, 

 as in Coccinella ; the species are, to a great extent, f ungivorous, but 

 some are phytophagous ; although there are only four British species, 

 yet these represent the three tribes into which the family may naturally 

 be divided, which may be distinguished as follows : 



I. Tarsi distinctly 4-jointed MYCETJEINA. 



II. Tarsi dilated, apparently 3-jointed, the third joint being very 



minute and concealed between the lobes of the second joint. 

 i. Anterior coxae contiguous, somewhat conical ; prosternum 



not produced between coxa) DAPSINA. 



ii. Anterior coxse distant, subglobose ; prosternum produced be- 

 tween coxa? ENDOMTCHINA. 





