STAPHYLINID^ 411 



mm. British Columbia (Metlakatla), California (Lake Tahoe), 

 Iowa (Keokuk) and New York (Lake Champlain and near the city). 

 Abundant. [Quedius grcenlandicus Zett.]. . . . mesomelinus Marsh. 



Body rather stout, shining, black, the legs and antennae blackish-piceous, 

 the elytra bright red; head stouter, somewhat wider than long, the 

 tempora feebly converging and broadly arcuate to the constriction, 

 rather more arcuate near the latter and slightly longer than the eyes; 

 antennae not so long and much thicker than in the preceding, the 

 outer joints shorter than wide; prothorax shorter, a fourth wider 

 than long, the sides less arcuate, the base equally strongly so; disk 

 feebly subexplanate postero-externally; tripunctate series distinct; 

 scutellum black; elytra relatively not quite so large, about as long as 

 wide, barely longer than the prothorax and, at base, distinctly 

 narrower than the latter, the punctures small and widely separated 

 but very distinct, those of the abdomen still smaller but equally 

 widely separated; sixth ventral (cf ) with the apical sinus so feeble as 

 to be barely traceable, the adjoining surface not at all modified; 

 hind tarsi less thick than in mesomelinus, with the first joint some- 

 what longer than the fifth. Length (d 71 ) 7.8-9.5 mm.; width 1.65- 

 2.0 mm. Iowa (Keokuk) and Indiana. [Quedius iracundus Say.] 



iracundus Say 



9 Form rather stout, pale yellowish-brown in color, the pronotum 

 testaceous, the head black, picescent anteriorly; legs and antennae 

 pale ochreous throughout; head shorter than wide, the eyes large and 

 rather prominent, the short tempora rapidly converging and arcuate 

 behind them to the deep nuchal constriction, the two foveae both 

 very close to their inner margin, the posterior the larger; antennae 

 moderate, not very incrassate, the outer joints fully as long as wide 

 to a little longer, the second slightly though evidently shorter than 

 the third; prothorax large, only a little wider than long, the sides and 

 base continuously and strongly arcuate, the sides anteriorly feebly- 

 converging and less arcuate; tripunctate series evident; scutellum 

 piceous; elytra slightly shorter than wide, at base narrower than the 

 prothorax, the apex fully as wide as the latter; punctures fine, as- 

 perulate and close-set throughout, only half to a third as widely 

 separated as those of erythrogaster and very much finer, the hairs 

 fine and pallid; abdomen with minute and still denser punctulation, 

 less dense on the apical segments; sixth ventral with a peculiar 

 broad and deep sinus, very acute at the bottom and with arcuate 

 flaring sides, or cuspidiform, the adjoining surface triangularly and 

 feebly impressed and smooth; hind tarsi rather long and slender. 

 Length (d 71 ) 6.4 mm.; width 1.7 mm. British Columbia (Stikine 

 River), Wickham breviceps n. sp. 



10 Sides of the prothorax more converging and less arcuate anteriorly; 

 larger species 1 1 



Sides of the prothorax parallel and subevenly arcuate throughout their 

 length; body smaller and narrower, the elytra frequently notably 

 short 15 



ii Eyes larger, at their own length from the very moderate nuchal 

 constriction. Body more or less stout (9), or rather slender (d 71 ), 



