KNTOMOLOC1CAL CABINET. 



DIANOUS CvERULESCENS. Curtis. 



Blue, punctured and hairy : head blue and irregu- 

 larly punctured, with two deep channels in front of 

 the head between the eyes : eyes large and very 

 prominent, elongate oval : antennae black, inserted 

 above the clypseus : thorax elongate oval and cylin- 

 drical, narrowed at the head and base, blue and 

 coarsely punctured : elytra covering nearly half of 

 the body, coarsely punctured, blue, with a large 

 reddish spot beyond the middle of each elytra or 

 wing case : abdomen blue and punctured ; legs black, 

 with greyish hair. 



Inhabits moist places in Coombe Wood. 



Length of the body 2£ lines. 



This pretty and rare insect we captured many 

 years since, as far as we can recollect, in moist 

 ground to the left of the hill leading to Coombe 

 Wood, and which is an excellent place for some of 

 the rarer staphylinidos, many of which may also be 

 found under moss and at the roots of trees and grass 

 during the winter months. Few countries produce 

 a greater number of species of this extensive tribe 

 of insects than England ; — does it arise from the 

 humidity and slow decomposition of animal and ve- 

 getable remains j where the presence of these insects 

 may be required to assist nature in her great opera- 

 tions, in the reduction to the parent earth of de- 

 23-3 50 



