152 Notes on the Species of Stenus 



This species is rather smaller than St. canalicidatvs, Er., and 

 its puncturing, though strong, is much less dense than in that, and 

 many allied species ; hence it appears more black and glossy. The 

 short and rather strong groove on the disc of the thorax also helps 

 to distinguish it. The head is very little broader than the thorax; 

 the forehead deeply sulcated on eitlier side, the convex mesial ridge 

 well marked ; antennee moderate, with the third and fourth joints 

 equal (or, very nearly so) ; palpi black, with the basal joint tes- 

 taceous : thorax rather short, posteriorly a little narrower than in 

 front, the sides rounded and the greatest breadth rather in front 

 of the middle ; strongly punctured and with flat interspaces 

 between the punctures, which, for the most part, rather exceed 

 in width the punctures themselves ; a short but distinct groove on 

 the disc, sometimes extending nearly to the base, and frequently 

 are seen two small foveas at the last mentioned part, not far removed 

 from the mesial line ; elytra about half as broad again as the thorax, 

 their length and width about equal, the surface punctured like the 

 thorax, the region of the scutellum depressed, excepting on the 

 hinder part. Abdomen strongly margined, the surface of the 

 segments more finely punctured than the other parts noticed, and 

 the punctures rather more scattered. Legs moderate, the fourth 

 joint of the tarsi simple. 



A common and widely distributed insect in England, which we 

 cannot clearly identify with either of Erichson's descriptions ; it 

 must be very close to St. nitidus, but the phrase relating to the 

 antennae, "articulo tertio quarto sesquilongiore," cannot be applied 

 to our insect. 



Sp. 28 (9). pusillus, Kirby, MSS. and Coll. 

 Steph. lUustr. and Coll. 

 Leach, Coll. 

 Erichs, 



Sp. 29 (10). nitidus, Kirby, MSS. and Coll. 



Steph. lUustr. (not Coll.) 

 Leach, Coll. 

 plancuSf Erichs. 

 There is a single specimen in Mr. Stephens' Collection under the 

 name nitidus; it is in bad condition, but appears to be the St.latifrons 

 of Erichs. 



Sp. 30(11). nitetis, Kirby, MSS. 



Steph. lUustr. (not the Coll.) 



