STAPHYLINID^. 53 



elongate and the penultimate segment smaller, and by the anterior and 

 intermediate tibiae being furnished with stiff hair^^, but not spinose ; 

 the posterior tibire are longer, with the first joint more elongate. 



PHYTOSUS, Curtis. 



P. nigriventris, Chevr., Rev. Zool. 1843, p. 42. As P. nigriven- 

 tris, Chevr., appears to be a distinct species from P. halticits, Kraatz, 

 it may be of use to quote in extenso Mr. Champion's note on the subject 

 (Ent. Mo. Mag. xxxv. (2 Ser. x.), 1899, 1) : 



"Fowler (Col. Brit. Islands, ii. p. 170) treats P. hcdticus, Kraatz, 

 and P. nigriventris, Chevr., as forms of one species, he at the same time 

 calling attention to some specimens in his collection, from Mablethorpe, 

 Lincolnshire, with the hind body much widened posteriorly and very 

 distinctly punctured. As these insects are regarded as specifically 

 distinct by Continental authorities, and both occur in Britain, it is 

 worth while to call attention again to the matter. They are easily 

 separable by the characters given by Dr. Kraatz (Berl. Ent. Zeit, 1859, 

 pp. 52, 53) : 



" Brunneus seu brunneo-testaceus, cinereo- 



pubescens, capite infuscato, punctatissimo, 



abdomine crebre pvmctato, nitidulo, nigro- 



piceo, basin versus magis minusve infuscato, 



apice fusco-testaceo, elytris thorace dimidio 



brevioribus ....... balticus, Kraatz* 



" Stramineus, cinereo-pubescens, capite basi 



infuscato, confertim perspicue punctato, 



abdomine confertissime punctato, opaco, seg- 



mentis quarto quintoque totis nigris, sexto 



basi nigro, apice rufo, elytris thorace dimidio 



brevioribus nigriventris, Chevi: 



" It may be noted that P. nigriventris averages much larger in size, 

 the largest specimen in my collection measuring nearly 3^ mm. in 

 length, and that it has the hind body much more widened posteriorly 

 than in P. balticus, and more distinctly punctured; the black band, 

 too, is very sharply defined, and confined to the fourth and fifth seg- 

 ments and the basal half of the sixth, whereas in P. balticus the hind body 

 is nigro-piceous, with the base and apex indeterminately testaceous." 



P. balticus is found generally along the south coast of England, and 

 is probably general on the east and west coasts also ; it also occurs in 

 Scotland and Ireland. P. nigriventris appears to be rare ; it has been 

 taken on the Chesil Beach by Mr. AValker. My specimens from 

 Mablethorpe, v/hich Mr. Champion refers to, are not, as far as I can 

 make out, to be referred to this species. Mr. AValker has taken 



* Originally described and figured by Dr. Kraatz under the name of P. iiigri- 

 tentris (Stett. Ent. Zeit. xiv., p. 257, t. 3, fig. 6 ; Naturg. Ins. Deutsch, ii. p. 43). 



