RHYNCHOPHORA. 125 



behind, evidently shorter in proportion, and much more closely and 

 finely punctured; central furrow wanting; pubescence shorter and less 

 raised; elytra with a scutellary stria and with deeply punctured striae, 

 and the interstices very finely punctured, often almost smooth, ninth 

 stria entire and prolonged as far as the tenth stria ; legs black or blue- 

 black. L. 2-2 1 mm. 



On young trees in woods, especially oaks ; often found by sweeping herbage ; very 

 widely distributed and common in many localities, but local in the midlands and 

 rarer further nortb ; Scotland, scarce, but found in the Solway, Tweed, Forth, Clyde, 

 Moray, and probably other districts. 



R. interpunctatus, Steph. (alliarice, Brit. Cat.). Extremely 

 closely allied to the preceding, and rather hard in some cases to dis- 

 tinguish from it ; it may, however, be known by having the ninth stria 

 of the elytra abridged- and united to the tenth considerably before 

 apex; from R. cceruleus it may be known by the more finely-punctured 

 thorax and less evident pubescence, and from It. pauxillus by the absence 

 of a central furrow on thorax which is less coarsely punctured, as well as 

 by the shape of the head, which is not sensibly narrowed behind, and 

 the fact that the interstices of the elytra are furnished with single rows 

 of punctures. L. 2-2| mm. 



Ou young trec-s, in woods and hedges ; not common ; Darenth Wood ; Birch 

 Wood; New Forest; Glanvilles Wootton ; Swansea; Ireland, near Dublin, Ac. 



There is considerable confusion regarding this insect which stands in 

 our collection as R. alliance, a name which has been applied to allied 

 species ; I cinnot, therefore, be sure of the localities ; some authors state 

 that it has no scutellary stria, but according to Bedel this is present, 

 and such is the case with a specimen of mine from Dr. Power's 

 collection. 



R. pauxillus, Germ. Closely allied to the three preceding 

 species, but easily distinguished by the deep central furrow on the 

 thorax ; it may further be separated from R. interpunctatus as above 

 stated, from R. minutus by having the ninth stria of the elytra abridged 

 and united to the tenth considerably before apex, and from both by the 

 coarser punctuation of the thorax ; from R. c<eruleu$ the less evident 

 pubescence and the presence of a scutellary stria will serve to distinguish 

 it ; the interstices are almost smooth. L. 2-2^ mm. 



On various Pomacece, especially the medlar; also on the sloe; it also has been 

 taken ou youiig oaks, hazels, <fec. ; rare; Darenth Wood (Champion); Shirley, on 

 whitethorn hedges (S. Stevens) ; JLittlington, Cambridge (Power) ; Knowle, near 

 Birmingham (Blatch) ; Northumberland and Durham district, very rare ; .Scotland, 

 very rare, Solway district, "Kiikpatrick-Jnxta. Eev. W. Little. Murray's Cat." 



These four species appear to present great difficulties to students of 

 the group, but R. minutus and R. interpunctatus are the only ones that 

 could be confounded ; the rostrum is longer in these and, in fact, in most 

 of the species of the genus, in one of the sexes, according to Thomson 



