242 RHYNCHOPHORA. \LixUS. 



Cleonus, however, the germs, which comprises ahout seventy-five Euro- 

 pean species, is exceedingly poorly represented in Britain, only five being 

 known, these being all extremely local or very rare ; the capture, how- 

 ever, of a hundred and fifty specimens of L. angustatus by Dr. Power, 

 at Fairlight, near Hastings, between August 21st and September 2nd, 

 1867, rather serves to show that the members of the genus are perhaps 

 overlooked (as might naturally happen owing to their habits) and that 

 certain of them, and perhaps some new ones, may yet be found in 

 numbers in hitherto un worked localities. 



The larvae of several species are known ; they do not call for any 

 particular notice as far as structure is concerned ; they live and undergo 

 their transformations in the stems of various plants (Umbelliferce, Poly- 

 gonacece, Compositce, &c.) ; the female pierces the stem with her man- 

 dibles and deposits an egg in the opening, and the young larva when 

 hatched begins to feed upon the soft internal parts of the stem ; in the 

 case of the large species one larva alone appears to be found in each 

 stem, but in the smaller ones several may inhabit one plant ; the 

 species may be discovered in localities they inhabit by the unhealthy 

 appearance of the plants. Ferris (Larves des (Joleopteres, p. 388) gives 

 an account of the habits of the larvae and of the plants on which they 

 are parasitic ; of our species L. paraplerticus appears to be chiefly 

 attached to Phellandrium aquaticum and Sium latifolium ; L. iridis to 

 Hemlock and Angelica, &c. ; L. filiformis to Oarduus nutans and crispus 

 and species of Girsium ; L. algirus to Cirbium arvense and palustre ; 

 and L. bicclor to Erodium cicutarium* 



I. Scape of antennse plainly longer than the two first 



joints of the funiculus taken together. 

 i. Elytra with a sharp prolongation at apex which is 

 at least as long (if viewed from helow) as the anal 

 segment. 



1. Prolongation at apex of elytra long, nearly as long 



as thorax ; form slender ; eyes prominent . . . L. PARAPLECTICTTS, L. 



2. Prolongation at apex of elytra short ; form much 



more robust and broader ; eyes flat L. IKTDIS, 01. 



(turbatus, Gyll.) 

 ii. Elytra separately rounded or bluntly angled at apex, 



without prolongation. 



1. Thorax without a definite light band at sides; 

 first joint of funicnlus of antennae relatively 



* M. Periis's lament (I.e. p. 389) over the comparatively small knowledge possessed 

 by entomologists concerning such conspicuous species as the Lixi and Larini is 

 perhaps worth quoting, as it does not apply simply to French entomologists: 

 "Que d'entomologistes, helas ! qui, au lieu de penetrer dans les secrets de la science, 

 restent a la surface et la font cousister a trouver a grand eft'ort, ne fut-ce que sur 

 un seul individu, uu caracterequi differencie tel insecte de son voisin, ou a posseder 

 beaucoup d'especes por les aligner avec art dans des brites ! Combien d'autres, 

 ignorants de la botanique, sont incapables de savourer le charme des relations qui 

 lient les insectes aux ve"getaux ! Combien enfin qui, ayant toutes les qualites re. 

 quises pour servir et meme honorer la science, gardent pour eux leurs deeouvertes, 

 par nonchalance ou comme s'ils en etaient jaloux !" 



