Insects. 2211 



Occurrence of Badister peltatus in England. — Immediately after the publication of 

 the October number of the ' Zoologist,' Mr. Samuel Stevens informed me, in allusion 

 to the paragraph on the preceding page, that he possesses two specimens of Badister 

 peltatus, taken by himself in the neighbourhood of Hammersmith. I hope entomo- 

 logists who find they possess this rare insect will announce the fact in future pages of 

 this work.— Edward Newman; October 5, 1848. 

 Description of Leptinus testaceus, a recently-discovered British Coleopterous Insect. 



Family.— SCAPHIDIIMl. 



Genus. — Leptinus, Muller. 



Maxillary palpi filiform, third joint cylindric, fourth shorter, conic. Antennae in- 

 serted under the lateral margin of the head, subfiliform, basal joint almost double the 

 length and thickness of the rest; joints subcylindric, gradually longer from the second 

 to the sixth, four last gently thicker and shorter, ultimate subovate, laterally flattened. 

 Body oval, much depressed ; elytra soldered together ; wings none. 



Sp. — L. testaceus, MullerJ* 



Testaceous yellow, somewhat shining, very thickly and finely punctulate and waved 

 throughout, with a fine, short, appressed, shining pubescence. Antennae half as long- 

 as the body. Head depressed, slightly transverse, closely inserted into the thorax ; 

 eyes apparently wanting. Thorax very much broader than the head, transverse, much 

 narrowed in front, depressed, very thickly and finely punctulate and waved, with some 

 irregular, obsolete, larger punctures, of which two or three are near the base ; the sides 

 rounded ; the apex slightly bisinuate ; the base slightly arcuate, truncate, its edge 

 somewhat paler; hinder angles acute. Scutellum rather large, triangular, thickly 

 and closely punctulate. Elytra closely applied to the thorax, of the breadth of its 

 base and scarcely twice its length, much depressed, sides straightish, rounded at the 

 apex, very thickly and finely punctulate and waved, with — in certain lights — faint in- 

 dications of regular, longitudinal, linear depressions, representing lines and interstices. 

 Tibiae, anterior and intermediate, thicker at the apex than the elongate posterior ; an- 

 terior tarsi slightly dilated. 



In the specimen described there are two dark approximating points, resembling 

 ocelli, on the hinder lobe of the right side of the head, behind the antennae ; but as 

 they appear on one side only, they may be accidental impressions. 



For this interesting addition to the British Fauna naturalists are indebted to Mr. 

 E. W. Janson, who found it under chalk flints at Boxhill, near Dorking, on the 28th 

 of May of the present year. — James Hardy ; Penmanshiel, near Cochbumspath, Octo- 

 ber, 1848. 



* L. flavo-testaceus, subtilissime creberrime punctulatus ; elytris apice rotundatis. 

 Long. corp. 1£ lin. 



Mull. Germ. Mag. ii. 207. Germ. Faun. Ins. Europ. 4, 9. Heer, Fn. Col. Helv. 

 i. 373. 



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