342 CLAVICORNIA. \_Atomaria. 



where it occurs ; Putney, Egliam, Sheerness, Chatham, Lee, Eltham, Dagenham ; 

 Staines; Arundel ; Hastings; Devonshire; Tenby, South Wales; Gloucestershire; 

 Norfolk, Huntingdonshire, and Cambridge! shire Fens ; Midland districts; Yorkshire; 

 Miibberley, Cheshire (in decayed Equisetum) ; Northumberland district, local, on 

 rough herbage on the bed of Qosfortb Lake j Scotland, local, Forth district ; Ireland 

 (Haliday). 



A. g-utta, Steph. Ovate, convex, black,' shining, clothed with fine 

 and sparing greyish pubescence, black, with a large common reddish spot 

 reaching across elytra about the middle ; sometimes the apex also is 

 lighter ; antennae moderately long, reddish with apex darker, or ferrugin- 

 ous, club narrow ; thorax very transverse and convex with sides strongly 

 rounded, moderately thickly and plainly punctured, basal depression 

 strong ; elytra rather broad, plainly punctured ; the punctuation, how- 

 ever, of both thorax and elytra is not so thick or strong as in either of 

 the three preceding species ; legs testaceous. L. 1| mm. 



In marshy places, in flood and vegetable refuse ; local, but sometimes occurring 

 in profusion ; Tottenham, Sheerness, Chatham, Egham, Walton, Maidstone, Reigate, 

 Rochester; Birchington, near Margate; Hastings; Wey mouth ; Topsham, North 

 Devon, under sea-weed, rare ; Wicken Fen and other fen districts, very abundant in 

 some localities ; Ely ; Coleshill and Knowle, near Birmingham ; Salford Priors ; not 

 recorded from the mid-northern or northern counties, or from Scotland. 



The colour will at once separate this species from all others ; it appears 

 to vary considerably in continental specimens, but to be very constant 

 in the English examples. 



A. gribbula, Er. (Hislopi, Woll.). One of our largest species ; oblong 

 ovate, male apparently rather narrower than female, convex, very shin- 

 ing, nearly glabrous (being very sparingly clothed with short greyish 

 pubescence), entirely deep black, occasionally obscurely brownish towards 

 apex of elytra ; antennae rather stout, ferruginous ; thorax large, exceed- 

 ingly convex, with a deep transverse depression behind, basal edge bi- 

 sinuate and not margined, sides slightly rounded, finely and not closely 

 punctured ; elytra convex, rather more finely and sparingly punctured 

 than thorax, the punctures, however, being larger, broadest about middle 

 and narrowed behind ; legs ferruginous, base of femora darker. L. 2 

 mm. 



Beneath dung of grouse, &c. ; local and rare, but occurring in small colonies where 

 found ; first taken by Mr. Hislop in Perthshire ; Scarborough (R. Lawson) ; Scotland, 

 very local, Clyde, Tay, and Dee districts. 



A. apicalis, Er. This species is variable as to size and to a certain 

 degree as to colour, and often gives rise to considerable confusion ; it 

 may, however, be known by its shape which is short, oval and convex, 

 but much narrowed both in front and behind ; the punctuation also is 

 stronger than in some of the allied species, but it is somewhat variable 

 in this respect ; in the case of a pair taken in cop and sent me by Mr. 

 Douglas, the male is evidently more strongly punctured than the female ; 



