140 MANDIBULATA. — COLEOPTERA. 



Sp. 1. gibbus. Oblongus riifo-piceus supra niger, antennis palpis tibiis tarsisque 

 piceo-ferrugineis, elytris punctato-striatis, thoracis angulis posticis suhacutis. 

 (Long. Corp. 5 — 7g lin.) 



Ca. gibbus. Fahricius. — Za. gibbus. Steph. Catal p.'29. No. 246. 



Pitchy, above glossy blacky head obsoletely wrinkled, with a small impression 

 on each side in front : thorax very convex, obsoletely wrinkled, with a slight 

 dorsal channel, sUghtly transversely depressed posteriorly and thickly punc- 

 tate, with an obsolete fovea on each side : elytra black, or pitchy-blacky regu- 

 larly punctato-striated, the usually abbreviated stria at the base rather long, 

 with an interrupted series of impressions on the margin : body beneath irregu- 

 larly punctate : thighs stout, pitchy-black ; tibiae, tarsi, antennse, and palpi, 

 ferruginous. 



Var. /3. With the suture and margin of the elytra ferruginous. 



Var. y. With the legs entirely, antennae and palpi pitchy-black. 



Found generally in corn-fields, frequently on tlie ears of the corn 

 itself, in the autumn, throughout the southern parts of the kingdom ; 

 in plenty near Worthing, in August, 1817, and near Brighton the 

 following year. " In profusion near Hastings, on corn, in Sep- 

 tember last." — N. A. Vigors, Esq. " Occurs every autumn regu- 

 larly and plentifully in the open corn-lands about Cambridge." — 

 ^ev. L. Jenyns. 



An interesting account of the supposed ravages of the larvae of 

 this species, by destroying the young corn near Seeburg,in Germany, 

 is given in Germar's Magazine, as noticed in page 4 ; from which it 

 would appear that the Zabri are less zoophagous than the other Geo- 

 dephaga : but as they were accompanied by truly herbivorous larvae, 

 did they not rather feed upon the latter (as surmised in the above 

 page) .? And is it not probable that the perfect insects ascend the 

 corn for the purpose of devouring the insect parasites thereon? 

 This is a subject that requires investigation, as it is highly im- 

 portant for the interests of the agriculturist, in those districts where 

 the insect abounds, that the question should be thoroughly set at 

 rest ; because, should the Zabri depart from the habits of the group 

 to which they belong, and become herbivorous instead of carni- 

 vorous, their destruction would be desirable ; while, on the contrary, 

 if they destroy the devourers of our produce, their preservation 

 should be attempted. It may be added, that certain specimens of the 

 perfect insect, which were enclosed in a box with some corn, were 

 observed to devour the latter so long as the supply lasted, when 

 they attacked each other. But was not that rather analogous to 

 the natural antipathy which animals seemingly have to feed by 



