rather largely developed, with thè hinder point of it riiore ór less
acute ; hut there seems to be no central lateral denticle, the sides
being merely minutely crenulated—so minutely, indeed, as sometimes
to appear nearly simple.”
Fam. Mycetoplagida.
Mycetsea, Steph.
M . h irta , Gryll.—A very small, widely distributed, European
Beetle, which Mr. Wollaston considers to have been naturalized in
St. Helena, as it has been in the Azorean and Madeiran archipelagos.
Typhsea, Steph.
T . f u m a t a , Linn.—-A reddish-brown Beetle, about one-eighth of
an inch in length, of which Mr. Wollaston writes: “ There is scarcely
any insect which has acquired (doubtless through human, agencies) a
wider geographical range than the common European T. fumata ; and
therefore it is not surprising that it should have been met with by'
Mr. Melliss at St. Helena. I t occurs in the north of Africa, and
abounds in the Azores, Madeiras, Canaries, and Cape Verdes ; and it
has even been reported likewise from the United States.”
Fam. Bermestidce.
Dermestes, Linn.
D. cadaverinus, Fab.—I have not detected this Beetle at St»
Helena, but Mr. Wollaston has included it because of its having
originally been described by Fabricius (in 17?5) from a St. Helena
example in the collection of Sir Joseph Banks. “ Being peculiarly
liable to transmission, in various articles of merchandize and commerce,
throughout the civilized world, it has been made to acquire a
very extensive geographical range—being recorded not only inEurope,.
but even from South America, Mexico, O’taheite, the East Indies,
Siberia, Arabia, &e. ; and it was obtained abundantly, by the late Mr.
Bewicke, at Ascension.”
D. vulpinus, Fab.—A somewhat oval-shaped, black Beetle, half
an inch in length, common about the town and low land in its
neighbourhood. I t is evidently an introduced insect,-which, Mr,
Wollaston says, “ is eminently liable to accidental dissemination
along with various articles of commerce and merchandize. I t has
been established equally in the Madeiran, Canarian, and Cape Verde
groups.”
Attagenus, Lat.
A . g lo r io s s e , Fab. — A small, thick, mottled-brown Beetle,
about one-sixth of an inch in length, common about the town and
low land in its locality; I have caught it crawling over my office
table. Its introduction is doubtless due to the medium of commerce,
and, Mr. Wollaston says, “ it has likewise established itself in the
Island of Ascension, and it is reported also from India, Eastern
Africa, and America.”
Fam. Hideridm.
Tribalus, Erichs.
1 . 4 - s t r i a t u s , Woll.—A Beetle, one-eighth of an inch in
length, of which Mr. Wollaston writes : “ The rather small size and
entirely punctulated surface of this little Histerid, combined with its
semicircular w^carinated forehead, and the fact of its elytra being
totally free from a sutural stria (which is only traceable as a very
short subscutellar arcuated impression), affiliate it with the small
group of species which constitute the genus Tribalus; but it seems
to differ {inter did) from the whole of them in having/oar very distinct
dorsal punctured stria; continued to about the middle of each
elytron. Apart from other characters, its piceous-black hue, sub-
rufescent limbs, and perpendicular pygidium will serve additionally
to distinguish it.”
Saprinus, Erichs.
S . l a u t u s , W o ll—A Beetle, about a quarter of an inch in
length, of which Mr. Wollaston says: “ The blue tinge (at any rate
on the elytra) arid by no means small size of this Saprinus are some-'
what suggestive at first sight of the widely spread S. semipunctatus;
but the fact of its epistome being divided from the forehead by a
strong transverse line,.in conjunction. with its sutural stria being
complete, and uniting in front with the fourth discal one, remove it
into a totally different section of the genus—characterized by such
North-American species as javeti, patruelis, and dimidiaiipennis,
which, however, appear to be of considerably smaller stature and less
punctured on the surface.”