7454 Entomological Society, 



The third species is considerably smaller than S. discoideus, is black, with deep 

 red elytra, and these are narrowly margined externally, and rather broadly margined 

 at the apex, with black ; along the suture is a broad (at times very broad) black 

 band, which is pretty nearly of uniform width : it is, however, more particularly dis- 

 tinguished by its short convex form (the elytra being very obtusely rounded behind), 

 and the punctuation of the elytra being stronger and more distinct, the punctures not 

 varying in size, being less dense, and the interstices being even, not rugulose. Eleven 

 specimens (mostly from the Hammersmith Marshes and Hornsey Feu) furnish the 

 above characters: in all, the legs are black, and the anlennse and palpi dusky. This 

 is the Scymnus limbatus of Kirby's MSS. and collection, and of Stephens's ' Illus- 

 trations.' 



Mr. Waterhouse communicated detailed descriptions of these three species to the 

 Meeting. 



Mr. Waterhouse also exhibited three species of Bryaxis ; two at least were hitherto 

 unrecorded as British ; one of the three is jirobably the B. assimilis of Curtis. 

 Bryaxis Helferi, Schmidt, &c., Pselaph. Faun. Pragen, p. 33. 



, Aube, Revision de la Famille des Pselaphiens, in the Annales de 



la Soc. F.iit. de France, 2me ser. ii. p. 109. 



pulchella, Schaum, in Germar's Zeitschrift fiir die Entomologie, iv. 192. 



In size and colouring this species nearly resembles Biyaxis impressa of Denny, 

 Erichs., Aube, &c., but is readily distinguished by the comparatively large size of the 

 central fovea on the back of the thorax, this being nearly as large as the lateral foveas, 

 whilst in B. impressa it is very small, as in B. Juncorum ; moreover, the male sex of 

 the present insect has the anterior trochanters armed with a spine, and the first abdo- 

 minal segment has a small curved groove at the apes, enclosing a small, slightly raised 

 area. The middle tibia has a distinct spine at the apex in the same sex. Usually the 

 red of the elytra is darker than in B. impressa. 



On the Continent this species is said to be found in the neighbourhood of salt or 

 brackish water, and such was the case with most of his specimens, these being taken at 

 Sheppey, Southend and Gravesend, but it does not confine itself to such situations, 

 since Mr. W. found a specimen at Hawkhurst, in Kent, and a second in the Crystal 

 Palace. 



B. Lefebvrii, Aube, Monogr. p. 28, pi. 83, f. 1 ? Revision, &c., p. 108 ? 



Mr. Waterhouse has in his British collection a female Bryaxis which in size 

 and colouring greatly resembles B. Helferi, but which is certainly distinct. He has 

 no note of its locality. When compared with B. Helferi it differs in having the abdo- 

 men more finely and less thickly punctured, and hence this part is more glossy, and 

 the two striolae at the base of the first segment are much more widely separated:* the 



* In these insects usually may be seen three transverse depressions at the base of 

 the abdomen, close to the edge of the elytra, and the central depression is bounded 

 by two nearly longitudinal but slightly diverging striae ; in the male of B. Helferi the 

 space between the slriaj is very nearly equal to one-third of the width of the convex 

 part of the abdomen ; in the female it is less, since it scarcely exceeds one-fifth ; whilst 

 in the female insect which Mr. W. supposes to be that of B. Lefebvrii, the space 

 between the striae is decidedly more than one-third of the width of the abdomen, not 

 including the subreflected lateral margin. 



