PROCEEDINGS OF SOCIETIES. 
117 
the insertion. Bohernann, however, who had observed these parasites on Typh- 
locyba , and found that the grub enclosed itself in a cocoon, is of opinion that they 
are the larvae of some of the Chalcidce or Proctotrupidce .* The matter was now 
brought before the Association, in the hope, that some of the members might be 
more successful in determining the question by direct observation. 
He showed also some Coleoptera and Diptera taken in Ireland. Two of these, 
Heterothops dissimilis and Agathidium marginatum , had been found before in other 
parts of the country, but were additions to the Coleopterous fauna of the Dublin 
district, lately taken at Portmarnock. Also Pelina cenescens , new to the British 
Fauna, taken at Lough Bray on the 14th of the last month, when a number of the mem¬ 
bers of the Association visited the spot for the sake of collecting. This fly, belonging 
to the group Ephydrini of the family Muscidce, was first observed in Lapland, but 
has since been found in other parts of Sweden. Of this group, 65 British species were 
enumerated in a brief sketch inserted in the u Annals of Natural History” in 1839. 
An excellent Monograph of the Swedish species has been given by Stenhammar in 
the volume of the “ Transactions of the Royal Swedish Academy,” published in 
1844; and by the help of this and of Zetterstedt’s “Diptera Scandinavise” some British 
species had been since discriminated, and the number increased by six ; but of these 
only two were now discoveries—the fly in question and another which was also 
before the meeting, Discomyza cimiciformis. f At a former meeting of the Associa¬ 
tion Dr. Kinahan had recorded an interesting observation as to the economy of 
Discomyza incurva , the only species of the genus hitherto characterized. The 
second species is not, however, a new discovery, as Mr. Haliday had received, in 
1847, specimens, named as above, from Mr. Curtis, who first found it in June, 
1842, near Quar Abbey (Isle of Wight) and in a marsh at Ryde. Last September 
it was met with, not very scarce, on the banks of the creek of Owenbeg river, Cork 
Harbour, chiefly on Beta maritima. Like the other species, it takes long skips, 
probably with the help of the wings, but does not use them for a sustained flight. 
On the shore of the same creek, within a space of a few yards square, the following 
maritime Coleoptera occurred, besides others of less note:— Bradycellus pubescens , 
Pogonus chalceus , Bembidium laterale , Aepys robinii , Micralymma marinum 
(Stroem), Heterocerus marshami. It was remarkable that of this list only the first 
was known to Mr. Clear as a native of the County Cork. Mr. Haliday had never 
before found all of them associated. The Aepys , which occurred also near Passage, 
appears to be confined to those parts of the coast, below high-Water mark, where 
clay comes to the surface. Specimens from Scotland of Aepys robinii , the gift of 
Mr. Javet, were shown, also Aepys marinus from Strangford. Mr. Haliday was 
disposed to doubt the importance of the distinctions assigned to the two alleged 
species. The difference in the armour of the feet led him to suspect that a sexual 
distinction may have been treated as specific. He quoted the remarks under 
Ptilium pallidum in the Faune Fran 9 aise of Fairmaire and Laboulbene—“Les 
angles posterieurs du corselet varient un peu, et il est facile, avec de la bonne 
volonte, de trouver des angles tres obtus et des angles presque droits; mais, 
selon nous, ces deux termes sont fort exageres.” He had found at Blarney Lake, 
last summer, some specimens of Phytobius velatus (shown), of which he possessed 
before but one taken at Holywood (Down). These were partly taken out of the 
water, partly swept off the stems of Equisetum , when the sun was shining strong. 
Beck, the first discoverer of this species, has remarked that it swims fast and dives. 
The peculiar structure of the legs was shown, “natatorial,” as Schonherr calls them, 
being thinly furnished with long hairs, the tarsi without the broad felt-like sole 
usual in this family, and with scarcely any enlargement or notch of the penultimate 
joint, but with long claws like those of Elmis, &c., by which it clings to the sub¬ 
merged plants ( Myriophyllum , Zannichellia , &c.) among which it haunts. A 
second species, Ph. leucogaster, of which also specimens were shown, taken at 
Holywood, has the like structure in some degree, and the two have been separated 
from Phytobius by Redtenbacher as the genus Litodactylus, but as Suffrian has 
pointed out, in the Stettin Entomological Journal, there are considerable differences 
* Proceedings of Swedish Academy for 1850, p. 213. 
t See the description of both these species at the end of this paper. 
VOL. II. 
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