THE COLEOPTEEA OE THE 

 BRITISH ISLANDS. 



(SUPPLEMENT.) 



ADEPHAGA. 



CARABID.S:. 

 CARABUS, Linne. 



C. violaceus, var. soUicitans, Harteit, Novitates Zoologicte, 

 xiv. pp. 334, 335 (March 1907). (V. Champion, Ent. Mo. Mag. xliv. 

 (2 Ser. xix.) 1 908, 124). This is the British form of C. violaceus, L., and 

 is stated to differ from the type form of that insect (from Silesia, North 

 Germany and Austiia) in having "the elytra less finely, more roughly, 

 and somewhat more irregularly granulated, thus appearing much less 

 smooth," According to Hartert, the true 0. violaceus has the upper 

 surface of the elytra uniformly covered with fine granulations, without 

 any striations, and the margins of a beautiful reddish violet : apparently 

 it is not British ; he does not even mention the var. exasperatus, Duft. 

 (Faun. Austr. ii. ^-) which has been recorded from Portland and 

 the New Forest and more recently by Champion from Parracombe 

 in Devon ; in this form the granulation of the elytra is much coarser, 

 and there are more or less distinct tracts of raised lines \v. Brit. 

 Col. i. 8). 



The var. purjmrascens, F., has been recorded as British, but I am 

 not sure whether it is the true insect ; in this variety the elytra are 

 sharply striated with about a dozen elevated lines, between which 

 granulations are visible. The British species of the genus Carahus 

 require careful working out with regard to varieties and aberrations ; we 

 probably possess many more of these than have been recorded,, In the 

 last European catalogue there are no less than forty -one named varie- 

 ties and aberrations of C. violaceus mentioned ; twenty of C. monilis ; 

 seventeen of C. catenulatus ; twelve of C. hortensis ; and forty-seven of 

 C cancellatus. 



C. convexus. Fab. Syst. Ent., 1778, 238. Although there is no 

 reason why this insect should not occur in Britain, as it is widely 

 spread over Northern and Central Europe, yet it must be at present 

 omitted from our lists. Apparently only one .'specimen has been recorded 

 (said to have been taken by Holme in Winstanley Park, Lancashire), 

 and its authenticity is very doubtful. 



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