70 



THE YOUNG 



NATURALIST. 



Crambid.e. 

 C. pratellus, 2 C. margaritellus, 2 



C. culmellus, v. n. 



Pterophorina. 

 P. trigonodactylus, 2 P. plagiodactylus, few 



I never saw P. gamma so numerous in 

 previous years ; I have sugared often, but 

 with poor success. Many insects usually 

 common have been absent or very scarce. 



NOTES ON COLEOPTERA, 

 FOR BEGINNERS. 



By Dr. J. W. Ellis and Mr. Smedley, 

 Liverpool. 



Of the Geodephaga there now only re- 

 mains to be described the small family of 

 Scaritides, the British species of which 

 only number eleven, referable to two genera, 

 Dyschirius and CUvina, These genera are 

 very easily distinguishable from each other 

 by the size of their respective species ; for 

 while the two species of CUvina measure 

 about 3 lines or slightly less in length, none 

 of the genus Dyschirius are much over 2, 

 while most of them are rather less than 2 

 lines. Another useful point of distinction 

 is that the flat plate which forms the front 

 border of the head- the clypeus-is fur- 

 nished with two or three teeth in Dyschirius 

 while in CUvina the edge is perfectly plain. 

 CLIVINA. 



1. Colour dark brown-black fossor. 



2. Colour pale reddish brown collaris. 



DYSCHIRIUS. 

 I.— Length, i£ to 2 lines 



a. Anterior tibice with two distinct teeth 

 on the outer side. 



1. Length about 2 lines. 

 Clypeus with three teeth (one at each end 

 and one in the middle; ; colour usually 

 bright bronze D, tJwracicus. 



Clypeus with only two teeth (central one 



absent) ; colour dark bronze D. salinus. 



2. Length i \ lines 



Striae on the elytra punctured to the apex ; 

 elytra very long and narrow - D. angustatus. 



Striae on elytra punctured only to about 

 the middle ; elytra somewhat ovate - D. ceneus. 

 b. Anterior tibice with no teeth (or only 



very slightly marked ones) on the outer 



side 



1 . Strice on elytra punctured. 

 Punctures exending to apex of the elytra ; 



length, if lines D. extensus. 



Punctures ceasing before apex ; elytra 

 long ; the striae equally deep throughout, 

 but fine ; length, 2 lines D.politus. 



Elytra broader ; the outer striae much 

 fainter than those nearer the suture, which 

 are deep; length, 2 lines D. nitidus. 



2. Strice on elytra not at all or scarcely 

 punctured. 



Striae deep and without, or with only the 

 slightest traces of, punctures ; length, 2 

 lines D. imjmnctipennis. 



II. — Length, about 1 line. 



Differs from all the other species (which 

 are bronze or bronze-green) in being black, 

 and in its small size D. globosus. 



These species — all of which frequent 

 sandy places, especially sea-shores, where 

 they feed upon minute Brachelytra, which 

 they devour without remorse, — can almost 

 always be traced by the tracks of the bur- 

 rows they make in the sand, or which, per- 

 haps, are better described as the burrows of 

 their prey enlarged by the Dyschirii. Most 

 of the species are local, the commonest 

 being probably thoracicus, salinus, and glo- 

 bosus ; while imjmnctipennis, extensus, and 

 angustatus are more or less rare. 



REVIEW. 



Catalogue of British (Aculeate) 

 Hymenoptera, by E. L. Saunders, F.L.S., 

 !883. — We have received this catalogue 



