COLEOPTEKA. 45 



OLEOPTERA. 



Pdnus pusillus, Stm., a Species of Coleoptera new to Britain. 



By HOKACE St. J. K. DONISTHOEPE, F.Z.S., F.E.S. 

 Mr. Pool having told me that he was taking Ptinus brunneus at 

 Edmonton, a species he had captured there before, in the corn shop 

 where he discovered Ptinus tectns, I went over to collect there with 

 him. I found, however, that he was taking something new, and it 

 eventually turned out to be Ptinm pusillus, Stm., a species new to 

 Britain. We took several specimens, and he has captured quite a number 

 altogether. It is a very active little species, running much faster 

 than others of the genus. The following is a free translation of 

 Boieldieu's description of the insect : — " Oval, very elongate, nearly 

 parallel, of a testaceous-red, pubescence yellow. Head large, bent, 

 longitudinally channelled, covered with yellow hair. Antennae as long 

 as the body, with slender cylindrical elongate joints. Thorax longer 

 than broad, very convex in front, depressed transversely and contracted 

 behind, punctured and rugose, with a feeble longitudinal furrow in 

 the middle, and four feeble transverse teeth, formed by the yellow hair, 

 stiff and standing up ; the transverse part behind is furnished with 

 tufts of yellow hair. Elytra whitish-yellow marked with rows of 

 punctures, the intervals smooth and furnished with rows of standing- 

 up hair ; there are two transverse rows of spots formed by white hair 

 and not very apparent, one humeral the other near the extremity. 

 The body underneath furnished with yellow hairs ; legs long and 

 pubescent. Length 2-|^mm.-2mm., breadth 1mm. (J and 2 . Temperate 

 Europe. Lives in granaries." It is common in France and Germany, 

 and there is no doubt it is also British, and will be found commonly 

 when granaries and such-like places come to be more worked. The 

 difificulty is that so many of the people who own corn shops, etc., will 

 not allow anyone to collect in them, and are very indignant at the 

 mere suggestion that they harbour anything so disgusting as beetles 



CoLEOPTEEA OF Epping Forest. — Taking advantage of the beautiful 

 weather on January 26th, I went over to Epping Forest for a few 

 hours' collecting. Among my captures there is one which seems to be 

 worthy of record, iriz., a specimen of Meyacronus indinans, Gr., 

 which was taken out of a decaying oak stump. This same stump also 

 yielded fifty or more of the pretty little FJdnosimus ruficollis, L., a 

 species which I have never before met with in this gregarious manner. 

 They were not only under the bark, but were also crawling about it, 

 no doubt lured out of hybernation by the warm sunshine. — Heeewaed 

 DoLLMAN, F.E.S., 14, Newton Grove, Bedford Park. 



CoLEOPTEEA IN THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF DiTCHLING, SuSSEX. 1 find 



a few species among my last years' captures, not previously recorded, 

 which may be of interest : Malachius ma)-(/inellus, 01., one swept off a 

 hedge-bank in late June. Lissodema quadripustulata, Marsh., a few out 

 of an old ash stump, together with Choragus sheppardi, Kirb., one 

 example. Aphtlwna atrocoerulea, Steph., A. atro-virens, Forst., and 

 A. herbigrada, Curt., fairly common, obtained by sweeping flowers on 

 the Downs, the latter in profusion. Howaloplia ruricola, F., this was 

 taken in fair numbers on Ditchling Beacon, chiefly on the wing during 

 daytime, but also by sweeping. The black aberration was not 

 uncommon, though few perfect examples were met with. — Ibid. 



