82
THE ESSEX NATURALIST
Pyrophaena granditarsa Forster
VC 18, 19. Frequent in marshy places, both along the coast and inland.
Recorded feeding at flowers of Alisma plantago-aquatica.
P. rosarum F.
VC 18, 19. Frequent inland in marshy places, but apparently absent
from the coastal and estuarine marshes.
Platychirus manicatus Mg. 3 April-1 November (but not in July)
VC 18, 19. Very common throughout the county. Taken on flowers of
Ranunculus repens, Barbarea vulgaris, Cardaria draba, Stellaria holostea,
Angelica sylvestris, Anthriscus sylvestris, Heracleum sphondylium, Armeria
maritima, Clinopodium vulgare, Lamium album, Crepis taraxacifolia, Inula
helenium, Picris echioides, Pulicaria dysenterica, Senecio erucifolius, S.
squalidus, Taraxacum officinale, Allium ursinum; and on the garden flowers
of Limnanthes douglasii, Calendula officinalis and Helenium.
P. peltatus Mg. 12 May-1 October (but not in July)
VC 18, 19. Common throughout Essex. Taken at flowers of Ranunculus
flammula, R. repens, Cardaria draba, Myosoton aquaticum, Angelica
sylvestris, Calystegia sepium, Odontites verna, Clinopodium vulgare,
Centaurea nigra and Pulicaria dysenterica.
P. scutatus Mg. 2 May-4 November (but not in July)
VC 18, 19. Very common and widespread. Observed at flowers of
Cardaria draba, Myosoton aquaticum, Hedera helix, Daucus carota,
Foeniculum vulgare, Odontites verna, Aster tripolium, Chrysanthemum
leucanthemum, Cichorium intybus, Cirsium arvense, Inula crithmoides,
Picris echioides, Pulicaria dysenterica, Senecio squalidus, Sonchus arvensis,
S. oleraceus; and of Polygonum baldschuanicum, garden Erigeron, Michael-
mas Daisy and Senecio greyi.
P. albimanus F. 8 April-19 October
VC 18, 19. Generally the most abundant species of the genus throughout
Essex. Taken on flowers of Stellaria holostea, Ulex europaeus, Rubus
fruticosus agg., Calluna vulgaris, Convolvulus arvensis, Arctium minus,
Centaurea nigra, Crepis capillaris, Senecio squalidus, Taraxacum sp.; and
on garden Forget-me-Not, Doronicum and Senecio greyi.
P. immarginatus Zett.
VC 19. Colchester (Harwood, in HD).
P. scambus Staeger
VC 19. Walton-on-Naze, 11 July 1909 (J. W. Yerbury, two males in
HD). A female specimen from Colchester with no date (Harwood, in HD)
seems to me only doubtfully distinct from P. clypeatus.
P. fulviventris Macq.
VC 18, 19. Common in the coastal and estuarine marshes, but sur-