DYTICID.E. HYPHIDRUS. 45 



The chief characters of this genus consist in its nearly globose 

 body, the abbreviated joint to the four anterior tarsi, the monodac- 

 tyle posterior legs, the absence of a scutelluin, and the subacute 

 terminal joint of the external maxillary palpus. 



Sp. I. ovatus. Brevis, ovatus, ferrugineus, elytris brunneis, immaculatis. (Long. 



corp. 2— 2c| lin.) 

 Dy. ovatus. Linne. — Dy. ferrugineus. Don. ii. pi. 68. f. 3. 4. — Hy. ovatus. 



Steph. Catal. p. 43. No. 426. 



Short, ovate, ferruginous: male very finely punctulated: head and thorax rufo- 

 ferruginous ; the latter slightly convex, depressed towards the suture of the 

 elytra; finely punctulate throughout, with a few larger impressions towards the 

 middle of the base : elytra ovate, depressed on the back, rusty-brown, with a 

 silken gloss, the margin paler, throughout finely and thickly punctate : body 

 very convex beneath, ferruginous, the breast strongly, and the abdomen 

 faintly, punctate : legs ferruginous : antennae testaceous. 



£ Dy. ovalis. Fabricius. — Steph. Catal. p. 44. No. 427. 



Female larger, of a deeper colour ; the thorax and elytra thickly and rather 



deeply punctate ; the latter glabrous and shining. 

 Most convincing proofs have been observed of the identity of the two insects 



above described; I have therefore united them as sexes of one species, although 



Gyllenhal and others still conceive them to be distinct. 



Far from uncommon in stagnant waters in the London district : 

 found also in Norfolk and Devonshire. " Common in Cambridge- 

 shire." — Rev. L. Jenyns. " Parson's-green, Wands worth-common y 

 and Copenhagen-fields."" — Mr. Ingpen. 



Sp. 2. variegatus ? Elongato-ovatus, subattenuatus, paulb depressus, pal!ide-fer~ 

 rugineus, thorace maculis duabus baseos Juscis obsoletis, elytrorum margine 

 maculisque pallidis. (Long. corp. 2^ lin.) 



Hy. variegatus ? Illiger. — Steph. Catal. p. 44. No. 428. 



Elongate-ovate, slightly acuminated: pale ferruginous: head broad, thickly 

 punctate : thorax with two rather indistinct, round, dusky spots towards the 

 base ; the disc with a slightly-elevated transverse line ; the surface thickly 

 punctate: elytra rather depressed, posteriorly acuminated, obscure, thickly 

 punctated, dusky-ferruginous, with the margin and several spots and streaks 

 pale-testaceous : the body slightly gibbous beneath, testaceous, with the breast 

 thickly punctate : legs testaceous. 



This is different from the insect Mr. Hope has received from the continent as 

 the Hy. variegatus of Illiger, but it approaches very closely to the one de- 

 scribed by Gyllenhal, in his 4th vol., as a variety of Hy. ovalis; but its 

 form is essentially different from that of the insect last described. 



Of this species I have seen but one indigenous specimen, which 

 was captured in Essex, and is in my collection. 



