Insects. 



8649 



Note on tivo British Species of Philonthus. — 



Philonthus succicola, Thomson, Skandinaviens, Col., ii. Tom., 157, 7. 



P. carbonarius, Eriehs. Gen. el Spec. Staph. 437, 15 (nec var.) Kraatz, Ins. 

 Deutschl. ii. 577, 9 (nec var.) Waterh. Cat. Brit. Col.; nec Gi/ll. 



The specific name succicola is given by Thomson (loc. cit.) to the Philonthus 

 hitherto known in England and elsewhere as P. carbonarius, which appears not to be 

 the species published with that name by Gyllenhal (Ins. Suec. ii. 319,35) : the above 

 alterations must therefore be made in our lists. Our insect differs, according to 

 Thomson, from the true P. carbonarius in the following points : — The head is less ; 

 the thorax punctuated on the sides ; the penultimate joint of the antennae is transverse, 

 whilst in P. carbonarius it is not so broad as long ; and, in addition to the emargina- 

 tion of the seventh abdominal segment beneath in the male, the sixth segment is 

 widely (and gently) emarginate, the sixth segment in P. carbonarius, Gyll., exhibiting 

 no emargination whatever. In the latter species, moreover, the legs, margins of the 

 abdominal segments beneath, and the terminal segment beneath entirely, are pitchy 

 brown. Both Eriuhson and Kraatz considered the true P. carbonarius as merely a 

 variety of the insect to which Thomson has applied the name succicola ; but they ap- 

 pear to have overlooked the structural differences in the emargination of the male, and. 

 joints of the antennae, &c, although the variations in colour did not escape their notice. 



Philonthus agilis, Grav. Mon. 77, 70 (Staphylinus). Kraatz, Ins. Deutschl. ii. 

 603, 37. 



P. varians, var. d., Erichs. Gen. et Spec. 470, 70. 



I find this species (not hitherto recorded as British I believe) in my collection, and 

 have also observed it in the cabinets of Mr. Douglas and Dr. Power. It is closely 

 allied to P. varians, Payk. (which it must immediately follow in our list), being in the 

 section with the thoracic .striae composed of five punctures, and having the anterior 

 coxae fusco-testaceous : it may, however, be distinguished from P. varians by its 

 smaller size and different colour ; the elytra not being, as in that species, black with 

 a greenish reflection, and often bearing a red spot ; but dull black, with the hinder 

 margin at the extreme apex only subferruginous. The elytra also are narrower, with 

 the punctuation rather more remote, and not exhibiting so much transverse rugulosity ; 

 the thorax is a little more contracted in front, and the antennae especially are much 

 shorter, with the penultimate joints transverse, being moreover deep black in colour. 

 — E. C. Rye; 284, King's Road, Chelsea, May 22. 



-Capture of Ptilium ajffine, Omalium nigrum, O. hrevicorne, 0. 

 teslaceum, and a new Species of Omalium. By the Rev. 

 A. Matthews, M.A. 



I feel much pleasure in recording the addition of another well- 

 marked species to the British list of the genus Ptilium. During a 

 recent excursion to the fens of Norfolk with my friend Mr. G. R. 

 Crotch, I met with a single specimen of Ptilium affine (Erichson, Nat. 

 der Ins. Deuts. iii. p. 27) ; but although I perceived the value of my 

 VOL. XXI. 2 X 



