STAPHYLINID^:. 9 



punctures rather well separated even on the elytra, the abdomen polished, 

 minutely, sparsely punctulate; blackish-piceous, the pronotum a little paler, 

 the elytra still paler; legs and basal joint of the antennae very pale; head 

 well developed, the eyes convex, prominent, at nearly their own length from 

 the base, the tempora arcuate and converging behind them, the carinae dis- 

 tinct, entire; antennae moderately long, rather rapidly and strongly in- 

 crassate distally, the second joint cylindric, the third obconic and a little 

 longer, both very elongate, the outer joints distinctly transverse; prothorax 

 relatively small, strongly transverse, parallel and strongly rounded at the 

 sides, much wider than the head and correspondingly much narrower than 

 the elytra, which are parallel, rather strongly transverse and much longer 

 as well as wider than the prothorax; abdomen parallel, slightly narrower 

 than the elytra, the fifth tergite slightly longer than the fourth ; mesosternum 

 extending beyond the middle of the coxae, very wide between them and flat, 

 with the apex broad and circularly rounded, approaching the apex of the 

 large triangular metasternal projection by its own apical width, the angle of 

 the metasternum rounded; hind tarsi slender, the four basal joints equal. 

 Length 2.7 mm.; width 0.75 mm. Virginia (Fort Monroe). 



Though represented only by the female, this species is so distinct 

 in its structural characters that it could not be mistaken ; the male 

 characters would probably decide whether it is to be properly asso- 

 ciated with the other species of the subgenus or not; it is certainly 

 remarkably different from them in general appearance and all char- 

 acters except the very broad sterna. 



Macroterma Csy. 



This subgenus of Atheta is related to Stethusa and has the same 

 very broad and apically arcuate process of the mesosternum, but it 

 is here shorter and separated from the metasternum by a longer 

 interval. The eyes are much smaller, being at nearly their own 

 length from the base of the more parallel-sided head, the outer 

 antennal joints much shorter and more transverse, with the last 

 greatly elongate, being almost as long as the three preceding com- 

 bined ; the male sexual characters are materially different and more 

 complex. Of the three described species, borealis Csy., is unfor- 

 tunately founded upon the female, but it may be distinguished from 

 alutacea Csy., by the more sparsely punctulate and puberulent 

 and more polished integuments; dentata Bernh., has the head and 

 prothorax relatively smaller and more transverse, with the protuber- 

 ance of the fifth male tergite very much smaller and of different 

 form. The following is another species: 



