Royal Physical Society. 101 



in front ; and very commonly nigricans has two or three depres- 

 sions on the disk of the thorax, which picipes has not. The 

 posterior angles of the thorax in nigricans have a slight tendency 

 to project behind, which is not the case in picipes. 



This species is found over the greater part of Europe, but is 

 rare. I have not yet seen a British specimen. Kraatz observes 

 that it is principally found in fungi. Fairmaire and Laboulbene 

 say it is taken in the trunks of trees (I presume decayed). 



10. C. nigricans, Spence. 



Choleva nigricans, Spence, Linn. Trans, xi. 141. 3. 



Catops nigricans, Erichs. Kaf. d. M. Br. i. 237- 6; Sturm, Deutschl. Fn. 

 xiv. 18. 8. t. 273. f. c. C ; Heer, Fn. Helv. i. 380. 6 ; Redt. Fn. Aust. 

 144. 11 ; Kraatz, Stett. Ent. Zeit. xiii. 429. 11 j Fairm. & Laboulb. 

 Fn. Ent. Fr. i. 303. 16. 

 Catops var. minor, C.fuliginosus, Erichs. Kaf. d. M. Br. i. 239. 10; Sturm, 

 Deutschl. Fn. xiv. 28. 13 ; Redt. Fn. Aust. 771. 

 C. caliginosus (Mus. Berol.). 

 Catops var. major, C. longipennis,Ch&ud. Bull, de Mosc. 1845, No. 111. 196. 



Oblongo-ovatus, niger seu piceo-brunneus ; an- ^g- 9. 



tennis longioribus, obsolete clavatis, ferru- 



gineis, apice plerumque fuscescentibus ; tho- 



race transverso, postice latiore, angulis pos- 



ticis acuminatis; elytris apice substriatis. 

 Long. If lin.-2 lin. 



Oblong- oval, convex. Black or piceous brown. 

 Antenna a little longer than the head and thorax, 

 very slightly thickened towards the extremity, 

 sometimes entirely ferruginous, more generally ferruginous at 

 the base and becoming fuscescent towards the point. Head 

 finely punctate, mouth reddish brown. Thorax very densely and 

 finely punctate, finely pubescent, a little narrower than the elytra, 

 sides rounded, the greatest width at the middle ; very generally 

 with two or three depressions on the disk ; posterior angles with 

 a point, projecting a little behind, which makes the posterior 

 margin appear to be visibly sinuate on both sides. Elytra 

 blackish brown, sometimes paler, elongate-oval, somewhat con- 

 vex, densely and finely punctate ; faintly striate, the strise per- 

 ceptible towards the extremity, effaced in front. Under side 

 black; legs reddish brown, thighs blackish. 



Kraatz gives the following remarks on the larger and smaller 

 varieties which have been described under the names of C. lon- 

 gipennis, Chaud., and C. fuliginosus, Erichs. ; viz. — 



"A. Larger, for the most part female specimens, differ from 

 the smaller males in many particulars, so that one may easily be 



