DEINOPSIS.—CEPHALOPLECTUS. 295 
2. Deinopsis angusta. 
Fusea, antennis, palpis pedibusque testaccis ; angustula, posterius acuminata; omnium densissime subtilissime- 
que punctata, subtiliterque pubescens, peropaca; prothorace basi utrinque subtruncato, angulis posteri- 
oribus parum prolongatis. 
Long. 24 millim. 
Hab. Guaremaia, Coatepeque 1300 feet ( Champion). 
Antenne excessively slender, quite as long as head and thorax. Head narrower than 
the thorax. This latter with the base only slightly sinuate on each side, about as 
long as the elytra. Hind margins of the abdominal segments rather inconspicuously 
crenulate. 
Only a single individual has been found of this species, the most insignificant of the 
genus*, 
Subfam. CEPHALOPLECTINAE. 
Y am constrained to place as a separate subfamily a curious insect that presents. 
somewhat the appearance of Conosoma or Erchomus, but which canrfot be placed in the 
subfamily Tachyporine on account of the extraordinary structure of the head. It also 
presents other highly anomalous characters which will be gathered from the description 
of the generic characters, a description, however, which is made from a single decayed 
individual and is therefore very imperfect. The following points are amply sufficient 
to serve as characters to validate the subfamily :— | 
Caput in medio abrupte subtus inflexum, ore omnino in facie inferna corporis sito; antenne occulte; oculi 
null. Prosternum posterius in processu maximo productum. 
CEPHALOPLECTUS. 
Corpus depressum, posterius acuminatum, anterius rotundatum, caput vix conspicuum. Prosternum post coxas 
anteriores in processu maximo productum. Pedes breves, femoribus tibiisque laminato-dilatatis ; tarsi 
breves, fere occulti. 
This insect is the most anomalous of the Staphylinide yet discovered, and will be at 
once recognized by the fact that the prosternum is produced backwards over the 
anterior cox to form a large, broad process, similar to what exists in Hydrocanthus of 
the Dytiscide, except that it is even larger than in the genus of water-beetles I have 
mentioned. This is, however, only one of its peculiarities, for the condition of the head 
is even more remarkable; when the upper surface of the insect is examined, there 
seems to be no head, the large thorax, rounded in front, being apparently the most 
anterior part of the body; but a more careful inspection reveals that there is really an 
* At the conclusion of the Central-American Aleocharine I will call attention to the description noted 
below ; its modern genus cannot be identified, nor can we conclude with any certainty to what group of the 
Aleocharine the insect should be referred ; and as Say’s types are, I fear, not now in existence, it would appear 
that the description cannot be utilized. 
Aleochara obscuricollis, Say, Tr. Am. Phil. Soc. iv. p. 468; Lec. Say’s Am. Ent. ii. p. 585. Hab. Mexico. 
