GO HETEROMKRA. [ScrapHti. 



I. Third joint of antenna) and first joint of posterior tarsi longer ; 



eyes not contiguous to posterior margin of bead S. DUBYA, Ol. 



(fusca, Latr.) 



II. Third joint of antenna; and first joint of posterior tarsi shorter; 



63-68 contiguous to posterior margin of head S. FtrscULA, Mull. 



(minuta, Muls.) 



S. dubia, Ol. (fusca, Latr.). Subparallel, rather depressed, clothed 

 with fine silky pubescence, finely, very closely, and, on the elytra, some- 

 what asperately punctured ; head and thorax brown, elytra brownish- 

 yellow or testaceous, antennae brownish ; eyes separate from posterior 

 margin of head ; thorax very transverse, about twice as broad as long, 

 strongly narrowed in front with two rather feeble impressions at base ; 

 elytra about four times as long as thorax ; under-side fuscous; legs pale 

 brown or testaceous, tibiae and tarsi reddish. L. 3|-4 mm: 



In rotten wood, hard fungus on trees, &o. ; very rare; near Windsor (Stephens) ; 

 Glauvilles Wootton, Dorset, a single specimen taken by Mr. Curtis in a window of the 

 bouse, June 25th, 1842. 



S. fuscula, Mull, (minuta, Muls.; nigricans, Steph.). In shape, 

 general appearance, punctuation and pubescence very closely allied to 

 the preceding, but on an average smaller, with the third joint of the 

 antennae and the first joint of the posterior tarsi shorter, and the eyes con- 

 tiguous to the posterior margin of the head ; head black or brown ; thorax 

 testaceous, very transverse, with two distinct basal impressions ; elytra 

 and under-side testaceous or brownish-yellow ; legs livid testaceous. L. 

 2| mm. 



In bard woody fungns on trees, in rotten wood, &c. ; sometimes on the wing ; very 

 rare; Ripley, Surrey (Stephens); Purley and Esher (Power); Exwick, Devon, by 

 sweeping ivy, July 1863 (Parfitt) ; Mr. YV. Garueys took a specimen of 8crapiia some 

 years ago at Repton, Burton-on-Trent, which must, I think, be referred to this 

 species. 



MORDELLID.E. 



This family contains about a dozen genera and between three and four 

 hundred species ; the genus Mordella is very widely distributed, but the 

 remaining members of the family are chiefly found in Europe and North 

 America, a small proportion only being found within the tropics or in 

 the Southern Hemisphere ; some authors include the Ehipidophorida? 

 with the Mordellidae, but it seems more correct to separate them. The 

 following are the chief characteristics of the family : Body more or less 

 arched or convex ; head vertical, often inserted very low, strongly and 

 suddenly constricted immediately behind eyes, connected with thorax by 

 a very small neck ; antennae slender, filiform or slightly serrate, inserted 

 before eyes ; maxillary palpi with the last joint securiform ; thorax 

 trapezoidal or semicircular, as wide at base as elytra, anterior coxal 

 cavities large, open behind ; mesosternum short ; elytra narrowed behind, 

 without striae and with the epipleurae very narrow or absent, tip of 

 abdomen not covered ; abdomen with five or six ventral segments, often 



