1890.] 105 



equiseti of Herbst (Arctiv., 114) belongs, according to Erichson and 

 Kiesenwetter, to the section of the genus Cardiophorus in which the 

 claws are dentate ; Stephens' insect has them simple, and appears to 

 agree on the whole with Erichson's description of C. asellus ; there is, 

 however, in Stephens' collection a specimen of a Cardiophorus in which 

 the claws are dentate (it stands, with specimens of G. asellus, under 

 the name of cordiger in his collection) ; this specimen I am inclined 

 to refer to the C. cinereus of Erichson {Elater cinereiis, Hbst.). Of 

 the same species there are two or three specimens in Leach's collection." 



I have lately examined these specimens, with the assistance of a 

 continental series of C. cinereus. Two of Leach's certainly, most pro- 

 bably the third, arc to be assigned to C. equiseti ; on these were based 

 my identification of the Tenby specimen as C. cinereus, it agreeing 

 exactly with one of them. The example in Stephens' collection appears 

 to me to be a true cinereus, but its condition is hardly good enough to 

 allow me to feel positive. There is, of course, no record of locality 

 attached to them. 



I can find no other evidence of the occurrence of either C. cinereus 

 or G. equisefi in Britain ; but examples may occur and be overlooked 

 in other collections, as the species are indistinguishable from G. asellus 

 without careful examination, and have never been described in any 

 work on British Goleoptera, the G. equiseti of Stephens' Manual of 

 course being a misnomer for C. asellus. 



The tarsal claws will distinguish them from asellus ; they should 

 be looked at sideways with a compound microscope. 



The following is a description of my specimen : — 



Cardiophorus equiseti (Herbst, Er., nee Stephens). 



Black, densely and finely punctured all over, with close ashy-grey pubescence 

 "without fulvous tinge ; narrower and more parallel than C. asellus. Thorax convex, 

 slightly longer than broad, its sides moderately rounded, the anterior third nearly 

 straight, more contracted at base than in C asellus, with central furrow distinct 

 behind and two short lateral sulci at base. 



Elytra much wider at thorax than at base, and two and a half times as long, 

 sides nearly parallel in anterior half, slightly contracted behind shoulders and dilated 

 at middle, thence gradually narrowed to apex, flattened along suture, with punctured 

 striae, the interstices cotivex at base. 



Antenna? and palpi black ; legs black, with knees slightly pitchy and tarsi 

 reddish ; all tarsal claws dentate. Apex of last two abdominal segments pitchy. 



Long., 71 mm., lat., 2^ mm. 



Finally, if, as I hope, other specimens are taken at Tenby, I shall 

 be very glad if their captors will allow me the opportunity of ex- 

 amining them. 



48, Wimpole Street, W. : 



Alarck dth, 1890. 



