A NEW BRITISH CAPSID (H-EMIPTEEA). 9 



turn, referred to without a name by Brunner, inadvertently referred to 

 by Burr as " var. erythronata, Br." Adelung corrects this to var. 

 erijtlironata, Burr, nee Br. 



2. var. discrepans, Adel. Only female known ; of the hemiptera 

 form, the pale border of the pronotum dominating and almost extin- 

 guishing the normal dark centre. Received from Vernon, Beauchamps 

 and Demont, in France. 



3. var. picta, Adel., bigger than the type and coloration more 

 ornate and complex ; described from Fontainebleau and Bouray. 



4. var. chopardi, Adel., a little smaller than type ; colour pale ; 

 approaches vittiventris, Costa. Described from France, Fontainebleau, 

 Bouray, St. Germain, Beausset. 



Our British orthopterists would do well to pay careful attention to 

 all available material of E. lapponica and so-called E. lividus. It seems 

 practically certain that the name E. livid us should be confined to our 

 big, pale, macropterous, Mediterranean species, our pale British form 

 hitherto called lividus really being E. lapponicus var. 'perspicillaris. 

 Almost certainly the hemiptera form is known in Britain too. 



A New British Capsid (Hemiptera). 



By E. A. BUTLER, B.A., B.Sc, F.E.S. 



On three occasions during last August and September Mr. H. 

 Donisthorpe captured in Surrey a species of Capsidae, which has not 

 previously been recorded from Britain. Five specimens in all were 

 taken, one <? four $ s, two of them at Weybridge and the other three 

 at Oxshott, and all occurred on Scotch Fir. These insects, though in 

 colour varietal rather than typical, agree morphologically with the 

 description of Megacoelum heckeri, Fieb., given in Reuter's great work, 

 Heiniptera Gymnocerata Europae, and they represent, I feel sure, one of 

 the many forms of that variable species, and as such, make an interest- 

 ing addition to our Hemipterous fauna. 



M. beckeri is very closely allied to M. infiisum, H.S. (the well-known 

 Calcoris infusus of British catalogues), and for its recognition no more 

 is needed than to mention the points of difference. M. infusnm is 

 always described as glabrous on the upper surface, and this is suffi- 

 ciently accurate for all practical purposes, though I find that in most 

 specimens there are two or three long and very fine erect hairs, usually 

 either on the disc of the pronotum, or at the apex of the corium close 

 to the cuneus. M. beckeri, on the other hand, is, when in good con- 

 dition abundantly supplied on its upper surface with long erect hairs, 

 which, however, are very easily rubbed off. The hind tibiae of M. 

 beckeri have also both the black sette on their outer edge and the fine 

 hairs on their inner, evidently longer than m M. infusiwi, and there 

 are similar long hairs on the hind margin of the posterior femora near 

 the apex. It is also a slightly longer and more robust insect, with 

 stouter antennfe and legs. Some of Mr. Donisthorpe's specimens show 

 the dorsal hairs remarkably well, and though others have lost many of 

 them, they are all recognisable by the features of the hindlegs and the 

 size and general robustness of form. 



The colour of both species varies a good deal, and while the typical 

 form of M. beckeri is pale, like the majority of our British examples of 

 ,M. infnsum, both species have also darker forms, and the above speci- 



