1890.] ;U1 



i. Rostrum shining ; anterior femora with a stronger tooth ; colour variable, but 

 in British specimens red, with the head and rostrum, and sometimes 

 margins of elytra, black A. varians, Payk. 



ii. Rostrum dull ; anterior femora with a feeble tooth. 



1. Colour, ferruginous ; rostrum short (A. britayinus, Desbr.). 



2. Colour, black ; rostrum long. 



A. Thorax with the sides strongly narrowed in front ; first joint of 



funiculus of antennae much longer than broad ; size, larger. 



A. rubi, Herbst. 



B. Thorax with the sides very slightly narrowed in front, almost sub- 



parallel ; first joint of funiculus of antennae not much longer 

 than broad ; size, smaller A. comari, Crotch. 



A. ulmi is very easily distinguished from A. pedicularius by the 

 strong sinuation of the anterior tibiae, and the more slender rostrum, 

 and by the fact that the antennse are inserted further from the apex 

 of the latter ; the teeth of the anterior femora, also, are stronger. 



A. Chevrolati may be known by the characters above given, but 

 they do not appear in some cases to be strongly marked, and the 

 species certainly comes very near A. pedicularius ; it has been found 

 in the London district, near Deal, and in the New Eorest. 



A. conspersus is also extremely closely allied to A. pedicularius, 

 and I am strongly inclined to think that it is merely a colour variety 

 of that species ; it is described as being smaller, narrower, and more 

 parallel-sided, and always of a pitchy-black or pitchy-brown colour, 

 with the antennae, rostrum, and legs reddish-testaceous, the club of the 

 former being fuscous ; the pubescence on the elytra is coarse and 

 scattered, and does not form bands ; the legs are testaceous ; other 

 distinctive characters are found in the fact that the body is more 

 abruptly sloped ofE behind, and that the tibiae appear to be more slender 

 at base; it occurs on the mountain ash, and has been recorded from near 

 Bromsgrove, Chat Moss, and the Solway and Dee districts of Scotland. 

 The colours of the A. pedicularius group are variable, and range from 

 a dark brown to brilliant scarlet ; I have specimens of A. pedicularius 

 that do not differ much in colour from the only specimens of A. con- 

 spersus that I have had the opportunity of examining, the ground 

 colour being quite dark, and the legs mostly testaceous. 



A. pomorum may be known by its colour, and by being always 

 found on apple and pear trees ; the band on elytra is nearly always 

 very oblique, but I have a specimen taken by myself from an old pear 

 tree in which it is as straight as in A. ulmi ; the anterior tibiae are 

 strongly sinuate, as in the latter species. 



