25 



METABLETUS. 



The peculiar obliquely narrowed thorax is this genus is sufficient to dis- 

 tinguish it from any other of the Lebiida, but this has to be seen to be 

 understood, as it appearance cannot well be described on paper without a 

 diagram. We have three British species : 



M. truncatellus has the body perfectly black, and the elytra without any 

 depressions ; the base of the antennae and the tibiae are pitchy. 

 M. obscuro-guttatus and M.foveola are bronze or bronze-brown, the elytra 

 with two distinct depressions in the third interstice [i.e. between the second 

 and third striae), but the former has a light spot at the shoulder, and some- 

 times another at the apex, of each elytron, while the latter is unicolorous, and 

 with the two depressions very distinct. M. obscuro-guttatus occurs only 

 sparingly, but several localities have been recorded; M.foveola is very com- 

 mon everywhere. About Liverpool it is very common among the dead sallow 

 leaves on our sand hills. 



LEBIA. 



1. Elytra blue or green. Antennae black, wih only the basal joint red 



L, cyanocephala. 



Antennae black, with the first, second, and part of third joints red - 



L. chlorocephala. 



2. Elytra black, with a large red spot at the shoulder - - L. turcica. 



3. Elytra red, with a transverse black band reaching across the middle and 



extended to the scutellum forwards and to the apex backwards, thus 

 forming a distinct black cross on a pale red ground - L. crux-minor. 

 Of these species L. turcica is questionably British ; L. crux-minor is very 

 rare indeed ; L. cyanocephala is very local ; and L. chlorocephala is common 

 in many places. These beetles seem to have a partiality for the roots of 

 gorse and broom. 



CYMINDIS. 



Thorax red ; elytra black, with a yellow spot at the shoulder, and yellow 

 side margins - - (7. axillaris. 



Thorax and elytra brown, the latter rather lighter towards the base - 



C. vaporariorum. 



MASOEEUS. 



The only British species, M. Wetterhalli, bears very little resemblance to 

 the other Lebiidce ; its elytra are only very slightly truncate behind, and are 

 only a little shorter than the abdomen. The head and thorax are pitchy red, 

 the latter being very short and nearly twice as broad as long ; the elytra are 

 yellow red at the base, but pitchy red on the hinder three-fourths ; the 



