SILPHID^E. — SILPHA. 27 



thorax slightly convex, truncate anteriorly, the disc thickly punctured; 

 elytra ovate, rounded at the apex, rather convex, with three elevated lines, 

 the two anterior of which are rather obsolete and irregular, the exterior more 

 elevated and abbreviated posteriorly, and terminates in an irregular tubercular 

 elevation; the surface thickly punctured, with somewhat glossy irregular 

 confluent transverse wrinkles on the back. 



Not very numerous in the vicinity of London; but found oc- 

 casionally in some plenty in Epping-forest, near Layton and 

 Walthamstow ; also near Hertford, Ripley, Gravesend, &c; and 

 in Norfolk. " Longmont, Salop"— Rev. F. W. Hope. " Parley," 

 — J. C. Dale, Esq. " On Crwmlyn Burrows, but rare." — L. W. 

 Dillwyn, Esq. 



Sp. 7. opaca. Ovata, suhdepressa, fusca, tomentosa, thorace antice truncato, 



elytris trilineatis apice rotundatis. (Long. corp. 4^ — 5^ lin.) 

 Si. opaca. Linns. — Steph. Catal. 77. No. 818. 



Ovate, slightly depressed; brown-black; head broad, punctured, clothed with 

 a dense-brown pubescence; thorax somewhat unequal, the disc anteriorly 

 more convex than the sides and posterior edge, which are somewhat de- 

 pressed; the disc finely punctured, clothed with a glossy depressed griseous 

 down; elytra ovate, finely granulate-punctate, sparingly clothed with a 

 depressed shining griseous down ; the disc depressed, nearly flat, with three 

 elevated lines, the middle longest, the interior more obsolete, the exterior 

 abbreviated, more elevated, and scarcely extending beyond the lateral tubercle : 

 body beneath shinifig punctate, the apex somewhat ferruginous ; legs black ; 

 the joints with pale cilia, the claws red. 



With the surface above clothed with a glossy golden-yellow pubescence. 



Not very common in the vicinity of London; found near 

 Coombe-wood and in Epping-forest. " Aldborough, Suffolk." — 

 Rev. F. W. Hope. " Not uncommon on the sand hills (near Swan- 

 sea)." — L. W. Dillwyn, Esq. 



b. Elytra ivithout elevated lines. 



Sp. 8. laevigata. Ovata, convexa, nigra, subnitida, punctatissima, thorace antice 



angustato-rotundato, elytris loevibus. (Long. ccrp. 5 — 6^ lin.) 

 Si. laevigata. Fabricius. — Steph. Catal. p. 77. No. 819. 



Ovate, convex, rather glossy black, thickly and finely punctured ; head elon- 

 gate, thorax anteriorly narrowed, and somewhat semicircular, posteriorly 

 slightly rounded, above moderately convex, finely punctured ; elytra large, 

 oblong, the apex obtusely rounded, the disc thickly and somewhat deeply 

 punctate, without elevated dorsal lines. 



In some examples there are faint vestiges of dorsal carina?. 



