DYTICIDJE. ACTLIUS. 93 



Sp. 1. sulcatus. Nigricans, lunulis quatuor fronialibus, thoracis Umbo fascidque 

 media abbreviatd utrinque dilatatd, luteis ; corporc subtils nigro, laferibvs 

 ventris Jlavo maculatis, pedibus posticis nigris, femorum apice Jlavis. (Long, 

 corp. 7 — 9 lin.) 



Dy. sulcatus. Linne. Don, ii. pi 68. f. 5. — Ac. sulcatus. Steph. Catal. p. 53. 

 No. 533. 



Dusky-black : head with the mouth, labrum, anterior margin, an angular mark 

 on the forehead, two lunules on the crown, and a bent mark before each eye 

 luteous: thorax finely and thickly punctured; with the anterior margin 

 griseous-yellow, the disc also with a yellow fascia, which is dilated on each 

 side into an angulated spot, and frequently unites at the posterior angle with 

 the yellow margin : elytra very little convex anteriorly, depressed posteriorly, 

 throughout thickly and finely punctured, griseous, thickly irrorated with 

 dusky, with a narrow line down the suture, and the lateral margin yellowish ; 

 a transverse, waved, black cloud towards the apex, and three rows of black 

 dots, placed longitudinally; the disc of each has also three very obsolete 

 elevated lines : breast deep-black, thickly punctate ; thorax beneath with a 

 large yellowish spot ; abdomen dusky-black, with an ovate yellow spot on the 

 side of each segment, and the margins of the latter ferruginous ; the lacinise of 

 the sternum rounded, pitchy : four anterior legs yellow, with the upper surface 

 of the patelliform tarsi black ; posterior black, with the trochanters and apex 

 of the femora yellow. Female with a triangular patch on each side of the 

 thorax, and four broad sulci on each elytron clothed with griseous hair; the 

 anterior tarsi simple. 



Var. /3. With the fascia on the thorax interrupted in the middle, the elytra 

 rather more thickly irrorated with black than in var. a. 



Var. y. With the margin of the thorax above luteous ; in other respects similar 

 to var. a. 



f Var. S. Ac. varipes. Steph. Catal. p. 53. No. 534. Thorax as in var. y, with 

 the limb fuscescent : the anterior legs pitchy-yellow, with the base of the fe- 

 mora black : posterior black, with the apex of the femora clouded with rusty- 

 pitchy and black. 



f Var. z. Ac. scoticus. Curtis MSS. — Steph. Catal. p. 53. No. 535. Thorax as 

 in var. /3, elytra rather deeply irrorated with black on the dilated outer margin 

 near the apex : legs with the tibiae clouded with pitchy-black ; the anterior, 

 in the male, with the patelliform tarsi also pitchy-black above : the abdomen 

 with small luteous spots on its edge, its segments ferruginous. 



Having been favoured with the examination of two pairs of this last variety 

 (ticketed by Mr. Curtis as Ac. scoticus), I feel satisfied that they are referable 

 to Ac. sulcatus from not being able to detect any characters of sufficient im- 

 portance to warrant their separation as a species ; the mere suffusion of co- 

 lour, without any difference in sculpture, in my opinion, not being cha- 

 racteristic of specific distinction : yet this is by several persons considered a 

 good species ; but upon this point I must refer to the Introduction to my 

 Systematic Catalogue. 



