1388.] ] 49 



tural character, except the mesosterual tubercles and the slightly shorter 

 thicker 2nd joint of the antennae in the untuberculated form. I 

 cannot see any character worth relying on by which to make two 

 species out of the uutuberculated form. What is generally known 

 as decoratus, Hahn., = ericetorum, Leth., has the antennae darker, 

 occurs on Erica, &c, and is only known in the macropterous form ; 

 untuberculated specimens, however, both developed and undeveloped, 

 are taken on nettles, the developed ones agreeing exactly with decoratus, 

 and the undeveloped ones differing only in the lighter colour of the 

 base of the 2nd joint of the antennae, which is pale for at least two- 

 thirds of its length, with a very distinct black apex. 



On the continent the four species are also recognised, but Drs. 

 Puton, Horvath and Eeuter have considered adjunctus, D. & S., to be 

 the untuberculated species, whereas, it is the developed form of the 

 tuberculated one. In a letter recently received from Dr. Puton he ex- 

 presses a doubt as to the distinctness of what he calls adjunctus (nee 

 D. & S.) from decoratus, and so I have little doubt that we shall be 

 right in reducing the number of our British species at most to three, 

 namely:— pictus ^ Schill 



affinis, Schill. 

 decoratus, Hahn. 



var. ericetorum, Leth. 



Pilosus, Eeut., a species easily recognised by the long hairs on 

 the pronotum and hemelytra, has not yet been recorded from our 

 country, but it probably will be added to our list some day, as it appears 

 to have a wide continental range. 



I have not attempted here to unravel the complicated synonymy 

 of these various species, but have taken it for granted that Schilling's 

 affinis is the tuberculated form. Should it prove to be otherwise, 

 then adjunctus, D. & S., will stand for what I here call affinis, Schill. 



Ischnocoris angustulus, Boh. — Dr. Beuter suggested to me in a 

 letter recently received that it was possible that our British Ischnocoris 

 would prove to be angustulus, Boh., and not the true hemipterus, Schill. 

 On examining my specimens with the descriptions of the two species, 

 I see at once that he is right ; hemipterus, Auct., is a narrower, more 

 brightly coloured species, and has the 2nd antennal joint entirely red. 

 I have macropterous and brachypterous specimens of both species ; 

 hemipterus seems to be a species of more southern distribution. I 

 have it from Switzerland and Greece. Both species appear to fre- 

 quent similar localities, and personally I feel somewhat similar 

 doubts as to their specific distinction, as I do regarding the species 

 of Scolopostethus. 



St. Ann's, Mount Hermon, Woking : 

 September teh, 1888. 



