CURCULIONID^. BALANINUS. 



69 



Very abundant during the summer on hazels in Coombe and 

 Darenth Woods : 1 have also taken it at Hertford, Ripley, and 

 near Dover: the larva feeds upon the nut, is fleshy-white, with a 

 brown scaly head. " Black Hall Wood."— T. C. Heysham, Esq. 

 " Not unfrequent on Corylus avellanus (near Swansea)."—!/. W. 

 Dillwyn, Esq. 



Sp. 2. glandium. Ater, subdepressus, densS cinereo-tomentosus, scutello alhido, 



rostro pedibusque ruJis,fevioribus acute dentatis. (Long. corp. 4—5 lin.) 

 Cu. glandium. Marsham.—Bdi. glandium.— iS-^epA. Catal. 162. No. 1658. 



Black, somewhat depressed, densely clothed with a cinereous pubescence, which 

 is variegated with darker shades on the elytra: scutellum whitish, or pale 

 cinereous : elytra striated, the striae punctate ; interstices somewhat rugulose : 

 legs, antenna, and rostrum rufous, the latter about the length of the body or 

 shorter : anterior angles of the breast whitish. 

 The resemblance between this and the foregoing insect I conceive too close to 

 admit of their being distinct: both are extremely variable in the colour of the 

 pubescence ; this species appears, however, to have a rather shorter rostrum, 

 and to differ slightly in form from the preceding. 



Found in oaks in the woods within the metropolitan district. 

 " Probably near Swansea, acorns being frequently found with a 

 larva within, apparently of this genus."~L. W. Dillwyn, Esq. 



Sp. 3. villosus. Niger, subdepressus, parcius griseo-puhescens, antennis ferru- 

 gineis, rostro nigro, scutello ehjtrorumque fascia posticd lutescentibus. (Long. 

 Corp. 2 1— 4 lin.) 



Cu. viUosus. Herbst.-B2i. villosus. Steph. Catal. 163. No. 1659. 



Black, slightly depressed, sparingly clothed with griseous pubescence : rostrum 

 black, very long and slender : thorax with a whitish dorsal line : elytra punc- 

 tate-striated, irregularly varied with Jlavescent down, with a somewhat 

 distinct, abbreviated, broad, transverse fascia of the same hue behind the 

 middle'; scutellum also flavescent: legs black, with griseous pubescence ; fe- 

 mora slightly dentate. 



There is again far too great a resemblance between this and the following insect 

 to warrant their separation as distinct species, were it not from the evident 

 dissimilarity of length in the rostrum : and amongst my series of specimens 

 there are evidently four lengths of that part, whence one cannot but presume 

 that (other characters considered) they must belong to two distinct species*. 



* Sexual dissimilarities are sometimes totally overlooked by writers: witness 

 a recent reference to my male iEgeria stomoxyformis, with ciliated antennw, as 

 the female of iEg, culiciformis ! ! 



