the British Species of the Genus Euplectits. 49 



one — exiiibit punctures throughout their length — a character not 

 observed in E. nanus; the remaining portions of the elytra are, 

 moreover, pretty thickly covered witli very fine punctures. Tlie 

 legs and base of tlie antennae are pale as usual. The male has the 

 small terminal spur to tiie middle tibiae as in several other species. 

 The original specimen of E. Kirhii, of Denny, now in the Col- 

 lection of the British Museum, is a little less dark in its colouring, 

 and the vertical groove on the head is not quite so distinct as usual, 

 but a very careful comparison has convinced me that it is iden- 

 tical with the insect, the leading characters of which I have at- 

 tempted to point out. This specimen was, some years since, 

 examined by Dr. Schaum, and pronounced to be the same as the 

 E. Fischeri of Aube, which identification appears to me to be cor- 

 rect, though I should be glad to learn whether the striae on the 

 elytra are furnicshed with a series of punctures in the E. Fischeri, 

 and whether the head is gradually rounded and contracted behind 

 the eye, and not subquadrate at that part as in several of the 

 closely allied species. Furthermore E. Fischeri is described as 

 " rufo-testaceus," the same term being applied to E. Karstenii, 

 which is a much paler insect than E. Kirhii of Denny, which is 

 dark rufous, with the elytra more or less pitchy. 



4. Eupleclus nanus, Aube, Monogr. p. 5S, sp. 2, tab. 91, f. 2. 



Reichenbachii (Leach, Zool. Miscell. p. iii. 82), Denny, 



Monogr. p. 9, sp. 1, pi. 1. fig. 1. 



, of Leach's Collection. 



Pselaphus nanus, Reichenbach, Monogr. p. G9, t. 2, f. 20. 

 Eupleclus Kirbii, of Stephens's Collection. 



This is one of our commonest species, and is distinguished by 

 its uniform pitchy-brown colour, combined with the presence of a 

 very minute foveola on the vertex of the head, and other charac- 

 ters which have been pointed out in the preceding descriptions ; 

 the foveola on the head scarcely exceeds in size that of the punc- 

 tures which may be seen in the region of the eyes. In having the 

 part of the head behind the eye with the sides parallel for a short 

 distance, and decidedly longer than the eye, it agrees most nearly 

 with E. sigvatus and E, Karstenii. The male has a distinct spur at 

 the apex of the middle tibia within. 



Common in the neighbourhood of London ; is found in stable- 

 dung, the debris of haystacks, &c., and may sometimes be taken 

 on the wing, near sunset, in considerable numbers, by sweeping 

 over muck-heaps with a muslin net. 



VOL. I. THIRD SERIES, PART II. MAY, 1862. E 



