C4 HETEROMERA 



Female with the antennae not strongly pectinate, subserrate, the fore- 

 head with a shallow furrowed depression, and the fifth ventral seg nent of 

 the abdomen rounded at apex. 



Under bark of decaying oak, &c, where it may be found in all its stages; occa- 

 sionally found on grass steins ; very local, but has occasionally been found in num- 

 bers where it occurs; Darenth and Birch Woods; Epping Forest; New Forest; 

 Llangollen. 



P. serraticornis, Scop, (rubens, Schall. ; purpurata, Miill. ; satmpn, 

 Schrank.). Not so large as the preceding, which it strongly resembles 

 in general appearance ; it may, however, be at once known by its red 

 head ; the head is more strongly impressed in the male than in the female ; 

 the thorax is transverse, oval, or with the anterior angles slightly marked ; 

 the elytra are much as in the preceding species ; the antennae are not 

 pectinate, but strongly serrate in the male and subserrate in the female. 

 L. 9-12 mm. 



On flowers, grass stems, &c. ; its e:uTier stages are passed in rotten woo 3 of oak, 

 beech, willow, &c. ; often on pathways in summer; generally distributed and com- 

 mon from the midland counties southwards, and sometimes very abundant; less com- 

 mon further north ; not recorded from Scotland, and I hiive had as yet no record of 

 its occurrence in Ireland, but it almost certainly occurs. 



P. pectinicornis, L. Considerably smaller than either of the pre- 

 ceding ; head black with the labrum and mandibles reddish -brown, and 

 sometimes the middle of the forehead of the same colour ; thorax and 

 elytra reddish-testaceous, clothed with unicolorous silky pubescence, the 

 former with a central black patch of greater or lesser extent ; head un- 

 even ; thorax transverse, strongly narrowed and sinuate before posterior 

 angles, finely and closely punctured ; scutellum dark ; elytra somewhat 

 dilated behind, very closely punctured, with distinct traces of raised lines; 

 antennae and legs black. L. 7-8 mm. 



Male with the antennae flabellate and the fifth ventral segment of the 

 abdomen slightly emarginate at apex, the sixth being conspicuous ; the 

 vertex of the head also is deeply foveolate on each side. 



Female with the antennae pectinate, the vertex of head even, and the 

 sixth ventral segment of the abdomen not conspicuous. 



In birch stumps; very local j only found in Scotland, Highlands, Dee and Moray 

 districts, Braernar, &c. 



SCRAPTIID.E. 



The position of the genus Scraptia has been much disputed ; by the 

 shape of the head and thorax, and in fact by its general appearance it 

 seems to be naturally related to the Mordellidre, but a considerable num- 

 ber of authors have classed it with the Melandryidse ; Gylleuhal placed 

 the single species known in his time under the Serropalpidae, as belong- 

 ing to the tribe Dirccea. Dr. Horn and Dr. Leconte regard the genus 

 as forming a family Seraptiina of Melandryidse, and Stephens places it ia 



