160 RHYNCHornoRA. [Apion. 



shining band adjoining the thorax ; rostrum curved, longer than head 

 and thorax, dull and punctured behind, smooth and shining in front ; 

 antennae inserted near middle of rostrum, rather long ; thorax about as 

 long as broad, a little narrower in front than behind, with coarse and 

 often more or less confluent punctuation, and a distinct central channel, 

 which is sometimes entire, and sometimes abbreviated towards apex and 

 base ; scutellum small; elytra pyriform, a little broader at base than base 

 of thorax and gradually and strongly dilated behind, the greatest breadth 

 being almost at apex, shoulders not marked ; striae broad and deep and 

 strongly punctured, interstices somewhat convex, about as broad as the 

 striae, shagreened ; legs black, rather long and stout. L. 2f-3| mm. 

 Male with the rostrum slightly thicker and shorter than in female. 



On Ulex Europceus, Sarothamnus scoparius, &c. ; common and generally distri- 

 buted throughout the kingdom. 



A. immune, Kirby (betulce, Gyll.). This species very closely re- 

 sembles the preceding, with which it is often confused, but it is, on 

 the average, smaller, and may be known by having the head distinctly 

 striated between the eyes, and the vertex very coarsely punctured where 

 it is adjacent to thorax, the corresponding space in A. striatum being, as 

 Walton points out, smooth and shining ; the thorax is rather longer and 

 has no central furrow in middle, but a small stria or fovea before scutel- 

 lum, which is sometimes obsolete or wanting ; the striaa of the elytra are. 

 deep with the punctures somewhat stronger than in A. striatum, and 

 placed more widely apart, but this latter character is not a very depend- 

 able one. L. 2 -2 1 mm. 



On Sarothamnus scoparius ; local, but not uncommon where found ; Barnes, 

 Charlton, Chatham, Birch Wood, Shirley, Chobham, Bearsted, Weybridgo, 

 Mickleham ; Essex ; Dover ; Hastings ; Shirley Warren, Southampton ; New 

 Forest; Isle of Wight; Kirby and Bidston, near Liverpool; Northumberland and 

 Durham district; Scotland, Solway, Tweed aud Forth districts. 



GROUP 18. 



Black or metallic, pubescent, species, with the rostrum curved and 

 usually long and slender (on low Leguminosse, cliiefly Lathyrus, Vicia, 

 fyc., with the exception of A.. Scutellare ivliich occurs on Ulex). 



A. ononis, Kirby. (ononidis, Bedel, &c., nee Gyll.). Dull black, 

 thickly clothed with grey pubescence ; head long, somewhat enlarged 

 behind, coarsely and rugosely punctured, and striated between the 

 eyes, which are large and slightly projecting; rostrum rather stout, 

 curved, strongly and closely punctured, underside furnished along 

 its whole length with small hairs visible if viewed sideways (a 

 distinctive character pointed out by M. Bedel) ; antennas black, rather 

 long and slender, inserted near middle ; thorax about as long as broad, 

 slightly narrowed in front, closely and coarsely punctured, with a fine 



