92 SILPHID^. 



PTOMAPHAGUS, Illiger. 

 P. sericatus, Chaud. (Bull. Mosc. 18i5, iii. 199). Two recognised 

 specied as pointed out by Mr. Champion (Ent. Mo. Mag. xl. (2 Ser. xv. 

 1904, 78) are confused in our collections, P. {Catops) sericeus, Panz., and 

 P. (Catops) sericatus, Chaud. ; these may be distinguished as follows : 



Larger and more convex ; elytral rugae very dis- 

 tinct ; anterior tarsi of male broadly dilated, 



as wide as or wider than the antenna! club ; 



posterior tibia^of well developed males more 



or less hollowed below the base (and appearing 



widened from thence to the apex), straight, 



as in the female, in feebly developed males . P. sericeus, Panz. 

 Smaller and more depressed ; elytral rugaj very 



fine ; anterior tarsi of the male much less 



dilated, narrower than the antennal club ; 



posterior tibife always straight in both sexes ; 



pubescence of the upper surface finer and 



more silky ....... P. sericatus, Chaud. 



The size of P. sericeus is given by Ganglbauer as 2| to 3J mm. 

 and of P. sericatus as 2-3 mm., but while the former species is very 

 variable in size, the latter is much more constant in this respect and is 

 almost constantly of the size of the smallest specimens of P. sericeus ; 

 P. sericatus may be easily distinguished by the finer sculpture, silky 

 pubescence, and the structure of the anterior tarsi of the male. It has 

 been recorded from the London district, Sheppey, Brighton and other 

 localities, and is probably widely distributed in Britain ; Ganglbauer 

 speaks of it as abundant in Austria, and it has occurred in Russia, 

 Germany, the Pyrenees, Spain, &c. 



COLON, Herbst. 



In our British catalogues and collections G. zehei, Kr., and G. 

 hcurnevillei, Kr., have been usually i-egarded as varieties of C. dentipes, 

 Sahl. G. zehei, however, is undoubtedly a good species and diflers from 

 G. dentipes in the following respects : In shape it is broader and less 

 parallel-sided ; the pubescence is coarser, less thick, and of a darker 

 yellowish colour, and the punctuation is much stronger and more diffuse. 

 The tooth in the posterior femora in the male is, as in G. dentipes, very 

 long and slender and strongly and evenly curved from two-thirds of its 

 length from apex. 



C. barneviUei is not generally regarded as a good species, but 

 probably is distinct. It is of the same shape as C. zehei but considerably 

 and uniformly smaller, and the thorax is more strongly and diffusely 

 punctured ; the tooth on the posterior femora in the male is pro- 

 portionately shorter, less slender and diflTerently shaped, being straight 

 for nearly two-thirds from base and then rather sharply curved. The 

 female is of the same size as, and much resembles the female of 



