206 CLAVICOBNIA. \_Paromalus. 



PAROMALUS, Erichson. 



About forty species are contained in this genus, five of which occur 

 in Europe, the rest being found in various quarters of the world ; repre- 

 sentatives- occur in North, Central, and South America, Africa, Java, 

 Borneo, the Philippines, &c. ; their habitat is in rotten wood under 

 bark ; they may be distinguished by their long oblong or parallel form, 

 and by having the front tibiae only dilated; in this latter point they 

 resemble Carcinops, from which they may at once be known by their 

 shape, and also by the inconspicuous scutelluia and the obsolete striae of 

 elytra. 



I. Form long ovul, plainly narrowed in front and 

 behind ; male without transverse impressed Hue 



at base of pygidium P. FLAVICOENIS, Herbst. 



II. Form parallel ; male with impressed trans- 

 verse line at base of pygidium ...... P. PAEALLELOPIPEDTJS, Herbst. 



P. flavicornis, Herbst. Elongate-oval, narrowed in front and be- 

 hind, rather depressed, slightly dilated in middle ; shining black, or 

 pitchy-black, finely punctured ; antennae and legs reddish or ferruginous, 

 club of former testaceous-yellow, or bright yellow ; thorax finely mar- 

 gined ; elytra with traces of striae at base and near shoulders ; pygidium 

 very "finely punctured; mesosternum deeply emarginate, bounded by a 

 sinuate stria, the angles of which are blunt ; anterior tibiae dilated, with 

 three or four inconspicuous teeth. L. 1^-2 mm. 



Under bark, in damp decaying wood; local; London district, rather common, 

 Hyde Park, Chatham, Cobban, Greenwich, Richmond Park, Coombe Wood, Wan- 

 stead, Sanderstead, &c.; lilting, Essex (where I have taken it in numbers in com- 

 pany with Abrceus globosus, &c., in an old oak stump); New Forest; Bristol; 

 Windsor ; Colchester ; Scarborough ; it has not been recorded from the northern 

 counties or from Scotland. 



P. parallelopipedus, Herbst. Very like the preceding, but dis- 

 tinguished by its more parallel form, and longer elytra, which have the 

 striae at base and shoulders less marked ; in both this and the preceding 

 species the female has the pygidium furnished with two short con- 

 verging striae, but in this species the pygidium of the male is impressed 

 with a transverse line at base, which is wanting in P. flavicornis ; the 

 antennal club as a rule is darker, and the mesosternum is bounded be- 

 hind by a stria consisting of three arcs, which form sharp angles at their 

 point of junction. L. l|-2? mm. 



Very rare ; I have only seen three or four specimens, and the only locality that I 

 know of is "New Forest (Turner) " for Dr. Power's specimen ; Mr. Crotch first in- 

 troduced the species as British ; the insect appears to be very imperfectly known, and 

 may be mixed with P.flaoicornis in some collections. 



HETJERIT7S, Erichson. 

 This genus contains a few species from Europe and North Africa, and 



