STAPHYLINID^E 423 



Dunn; San Diego LeConte, under the original description, and 

 said to be found under stones). [Quedius explanatus Lee.] 



explanatus Lee. 



3 Female much larger and stouter than the same sex in either of the 

 preceding species and with a larger head; form stout; color deep 

 black throughout as usual ; head strongly shining throughout, slightly 

 shorter than wide, the eyes feebly convex, at much more than twice 

 their length from the base, oblique, the sides behind them very feebly 

 diverging, evenly and moderately arcuate, more so near the base; 

 general punctulation rather close-set and very distinct, the punctures 

 on the flanks small and well separated, those of the under surface 

 small, sparse and setigerous; foveae at each side nearly as in the pre- 

 ceding, the one at the base of the antennae similarly small; antennae 

 a fourth longer than the head, fusiform; prothorax large, two-fifths 

 wider than long, two-fifths wider than the head and evidently wider 

 than the elytra, rounded at base and a little less so on the sides, 

 the latter feebly converging anteriorly; surface subdeplanate later- 

 ally, the foveae and small irregular marginal punctures as in explan- 

 atus; scutellum sparsely punctulate and pubescent; elytra not quite 

 as long as wide, parallel, finely, very closely punctate and with dense 

 short black hairs; abdomen slightly narrower than the elytra, with 

 finer but less dense punctures and pubescence, the four basal tergites 

 broadly concave basally, except toward the sides; tarsi nearly as in 

 explanatus. Length (9) 16.0 mm.; width 3.8 mm. Manitoba 

 (Aweme), Criddle manitobensis n. sp. 



Large series of males in laxatus and explanatus would be very 

 desirable, in order to determine the extent of variation in the size 

 and proportions of the head and prothorax. At present it does not 

 seem possible to conceive of any series which could unite these two 

 species, for no such variations are at all well developed in any 

 other of the Quedii known to me, such, for instance, as those char- 

 acterizing the males of Bryonomus canescens, as shown by large 

 series (Bull. Cal. Acad., I, p. 314), but at the same time the closely 

 related B. seminitens has no such masculine variability. So it is 

 possible that in the Quedius explanatus of LeConte, we may have 

 an instance of extraordinary and very exceptional variation in the 

 males, corresponding to that of B. canescens, but, as just said, 

 this seems, according to our present lights, exceedingly improbable, 

 for the reason that the variability would have to affect both sexes. 

 The length of the original San Diego types, as given by LeConte, 

 is 9.5-12.5 mm., and they were therefore probably females; the 

 first measurement is so much smaller than that pertaining to any 

 female known to me, that possibly the explanatus described above 

 may be different from the true explanatus. 



