114 MANDIBULATA. — COLEOPTERA. 



Found in banks and damp sandy places not very abundantly. 

 " Strand-on-the-Green."— Rev. F. W. Hope. " Copenhagen- 

 fields." — Mr. Ingpen. " Glanville's Wootton, and Hurne.' — J. C. 



Dale, Esq. 



Genus XCVII. — Ochthebius, Leach. 



Maxillary palpi shorter than the antenna?, the terminal joint small, gracile, 

 subulated; the preceding thickened, with the apex tumid. Antennas with 

 the basal joint long, slightly bent; the second short, subglobose, followed by 

 an arcuated, slender, internally acute, process ; the club elongate, six-jointed, 

 the apicial joints rather stoutest, the terminal the largest and ovate : head large; 

 eyes slightly prominent; thorax short, with the sides more or less dilated: 

 body elliptic. 



The brevity of the palpi at once distinguishes this genus from the 

 following, as their slender, acute, terminal joint does from the two 

 preceding, from which the dilated margins of the thorax and the 

 greater convexity of the elytra also remove it : — the want of longi- 

 tudinal sulci on the thorax discriminates it from Helophorus, and the 

 less prominent eyes and dilated thorax from Hydrochus. 



A. Elytra punctate-striated. 



Sp. 1. marinus. Viridi-ceneus nitidus, thorace transversim impresso, elytris ob- 



scurioribus punctato-striatis, pedibus pallidis. (Long. corp. f — 1 lin.) 

 El. marinus. Paykul. — Oc. marinus. Steph. Catal. p. 57. No. 576. 



Glossy brassy-green : head obsoletely punctulated, with several larger punctures 

 on the crown : thorax very finely punctulated, with two transverse arcuated 

 impressions on the disc, which is rather elevated, and a bent obsolete fovea 

 on each side ; the lateral margins on each side behind and the anterior one 

 have a kind of white membraneous appendage: the elytra are punctate- 

 striated, slightly tinged with greenish-brass, with the apex paler: body 

 black : legs and antenna? pale. 



Var. j3. With the thorax pitchy-black. . 



Inhabits brackish waters beneath aquatic plants. " Pools of salt 

 water on the banks of the number/' — W. Spence, Esq. " South- 

 end."— Rev. F. W. Hope. 



Sp. 2. dilatatus. Nigro-ceneus, thoracis later ibus valde dilatatis, disco canali- 



culiculato posiice subbifoveolato, pedibus piceis. (Long. corp. | — 1^ lin.) 

 Oc. dilatatus. Leach MSS— Steph. Catal. p. 57. No. 577. 



Closely allied to the last, but differs in having the sides of the thorax more 

 dilated ; in colour, &c. Dusky-brass : head obscurely punctured, with some 

 larger impressions on the crown : thorax with the sides considerably dilated, 

 the disc with a longitudinal impressed line, terminating posteriorly in two 



