STAPHYLINID^. - 83 



America. M. Bondroit has recently recorded the species as abun- 

 dant in the winter in Belgium, always in beetroot fields, under the 

 decaying leaves. 



HOMALIUM, Gravenhorst. 



H. caesum, Grav., Mon. 209, var. tricolor, Muls. et Eey 

 (Omaliens, p. 218, 1880). This is the 0. nigriceps of our collections. It is, 

 however, only a colour variety of 0. cfesum. I have before (Brit. Col. ii. 

 415) referred to it as a very unsatisfactory species, and as probably 

 only a variety. 0. nigriceps, Kies., is quite a distinct insect from 

 0. ccesicm, having the head less rugo.se, the elytra shorter, the antennae 

 longer, etc. Mr. Champion (Ent. Mo. Mag. xxxiv. (2 Ser. ix.) 1898, 17) 

 has pointed this out and says further that the real 0. nigriceps is a 

 mountain species found in the Auvergne, Vosges, Pyrenees, <fec., while 

 0. tricolor is generally distributed in France as well as in Great 

 Britain. 0. nigriceps, Kies., must therefore be erased from our lists. 



H. caesum, var. subruficorne, Bagnall. This variety differs 

 from the type in having the antenna^ pitchy black with the five basal 

 joints of a clearly defined rufo-testaceous colour, whereas in the type 

 form the antennie are entirely reddish, with the base very slightly 

 lighter or darker. Mr. Bagnall (Ent. Record xviii. 1906, 72) says that 

 among hosts of II. casum examined only three or four examples 

 occurred, and there were no intermediate forms. According to Mr. 

 Donisthorpe the insect recorded by the Rev. Theodore Wood from 

 Rannoch as II. monilicorne, Gyll. (Ent. Mo. Mag. xv. (2 Ser. xl.) 

 1904, 260) must be i-eferred to this variety. The in.sect was found at 

 Gibside in October 1905, in rotten Poh/j^orus. 



H. foraminosum, Makl. (Bull. Soc. Imp. Mosc. ii. 321, 1852); 

 H. bi^evicolle, Thorns., Opusc. x. 1033. Dr. Joy (Ent. Mo. Mag. xlv. 

 (2 Ser. XX.), 1909, 103) records the capture of this beetle, and gives 

 the following description : " Black, shining, base of antennje pitchy, 

 legs pitchy-testaceous. Head with two strong roundish impressions 

 between the eyes, strongly and closely punctured at the base, more 

 finely and difl\isely in front. Thorax strongly ti-ansverse, broadest at 

 the anterior angles, which are rounded, sides rather strongly contracted 

 almost in a straight line to the posterior angles, which are sharp right 

 angles ; moderately strongly and closely punctured ; disc with two 

 deep longitudinal impressions. Elytra broader than thorax and about 

 twice as long, slightly broadened behind, strongly, very closely and 

 rugosely punctured. Hind body dull, extremely finely punctured." 

 L. 2-2|^ mm. 



Great Salkeld, Penrith (Britten) ; Rannoch and Thornhill (Dr. 

 Sharp). 



The species comes nearest, in the British list, to 0. exiguum, Gyll., 

 but is larger, and has the thorax much more strongly narrowed behind 

 and the elytra more .strongly, closely and rugosely punctured. 



