4 
purple and red stripe running down the entire length near suture. 
It has been taken commonly by Mr. Piffard; and also by Rev. 
Theodore Wood at Aylsham, Norfolk, on aquatic plants. 
D. limbata , Panz.—Known as D. lemnoe , F., in Sharp’s Catalogue of 
British Coleoptera (1871), and in Fowler and Matthews’ Catalogue of 
British Coleoptera (1883). This is another of the purple-striped species, 
but the stripe is at the sides of the insect in this case, and there is also 
a purple blotch near the base on each elytron. Rather common in 
Kent, Surrey, and other southern counties. I have taken it at Sunbury, 
Farnham, Wanstead, Walthamstow, etc., chiefly on Sparganium. Mr. 
Heasler took a number at Deal in 1890. Messrs. Newbery and Cripps 
have also captured it in Kent; Mr. Bennett at Hastings; and Mr. R. 
Gillo (on Iris) in the Bath district. 
D. bicolora , Zsch —Formerly called D. sagittarice , F., in Sharp’s 
Catalogue (1871) and Fowler and Matthew’s Catalogue (1883). The 
species is readily distinguished from the preceding in being unicolorous, 
broader, and having more impressions. Generally of a lighter colour, 
but occasionally one meets with dark coppery specimens, and some¬ 
times these dark varieties are mistaken for D. limbata by the inexpe¬ 
rienced coleopterist. I have never taken very many, at the most only 
eight or nine in one day. My series was captured at Farnham (Surrey), 
and on the flashes of Basingstoke Canal; principally on the yellow iris 
and the arrowhead. Also taken at Deal by Mr. Heasler in 1890. 
D. obscura , Gyll.—First recorded in the Entomologist's Annual ( i860) 
as being taken by Mr. Constantine near Glasgow. “ Very nearly allied 
to D. lemnce (our present D. limbata ), from which it differs in its more 
sombre colouring, in having the prothorax transverse, the anterior 
angles more pronounced and slightly reflexed, and without tubercles, 
and the base of the elytra, from the humerus to within a short distance 
of the suture, thickly strewn with punctures ” {Annual, i860, p. 147). 
Canon Fowler (Coleop. Brit. Isles) states that it is taken “ on flowering 
Scirpus and Carex in May.” The localities given are : Arundel (S. 
Stevens); Mabberley, Cheshire (Chappell); Scotland, Solway district, 
Dumfries (Sharp and Lemmon); also recorded doubtfully from the Tay 
district. I know of nothing authentic respecting its occurrence in the 
south of England. 
D. thalassina , Germ.—Frequently confounded with D. linearis , from 
which it may be readily distinguished by the teeth on the hinder femora. 
The legs also are unicolorous. This is perhaps the commonest species 
of the genus in Surrey. I have swept as many as 250 specimens in one 
day. It is found at the Black Pond, Esher, on the banks of Basingstoke 
Canal, Farnham ; also at Sunbury, Wanstead Park, Deal, Hastings, and 
many other localities. This species also has a melanic tendency, espe¬ 
cially is it the case with those found at Woking, and sometimes the elytra 
are entirely purple. 
D. impressa , Payk.—Said to be closely allied to the preceding species. 
Beyond having seen some specimens in Mr. Champion’s collection, I 
know nothing of it. 
Z), simplex, F.—Familiar to most coleopterists as D. linearis , Hoppe. 
This species is generally supposed to be the commonest of the genus. 
It is certainly common at Hackney Marshes, also in the small streams 
at Sunbury and Shepperton, and seems to have a preference in these 
