STAPHYLINID.E. 29 



This species may be known at once by its very small size, slender 

 form, small head and relative forms of the prothorax and elytra; 

 the male sexual characters are nearly as in the much stouter trac- 

 tabilis. 



Atheta civica n. sp. Rather stout, dark piceous, the abdomen deep black, 

 the elytra rather pale piceous-brown, the legs pale, the antennae dark, pale 

 basally; surface slightly shining but with the punctures fine, close and as- 

 perulate, sparse and simple as usual on the abdomen; vestiture abundant 

 but very short; head transverse, well developed, the eyes large, prominent, 

 at but little more than half their length from the base, the carinse fine 

 and not quite entire; antennae moderately stout and incrassate, the outer 

 joints rather strongly transverse, the second and third elongate, obconic 

 and equal in length, the eleventh longer than the two preceding; prothorax 

 strongly transverse, parallel and rounded at the sides, distinctly wider than 

 the head and evidently narrower than the elytra, the latter large, wider than 

 long, very much longer than the prothorax; abdomen narrower than the 

 elytra, parallel, the border diminishing apically, the fourth and fifth tergites 

 equal, the sixth (c?) moderately narrowed and flattened apically, having at 

 each side a large flat, posteriorly projecting lobe, the outside of which is 

 broadly angulate; between the lobes the edge is transverse, with a minute 

 median tooth, the surface not much modified ; sterna as in tractabilis and 

 other preceding species but with the mesosternal process becoming parallel 

 and narrow though not aciculate; basal joint of the hind tarsi much shorter 

 than the second. Length 2.5 mm.; width 0.72 mm. California (Monterey). 



A rather stout species with distinct structural characters and 

 sexual modifications of the male; it is probably allied to truncativen- 

 tris Bernh. 



Atheta nexa n. sp. Moderately stout, rufo-piceous, the head darker, the 

 elytra paler; abdomen testaceous, with a large blackish cloud not extending 

 to the tip; antennal base and legs pale; surface slightly shining, the punc- 

 tures fine, close and asperate, strongly so on the elytra; head well developed, 

 only moderately transverse, the eyes prominent and at nearly their own 

 length from the base, the carinse fine, not quite entire; antennae moderately 

 incrassate, not very short, the outer joints moderately transverse, the second 

 and third elongate and equal; prothorax only moderately transverse, dis- 

 tinctly wider than the head and correspondingly narrower than the elytra, 

 parallel, with the sides moderately arcuate, the ante-scutellar impression 

 rather diffuse; elytra moderately transverse, much longer than the prothorax; 

 abdomen parallel, narrower than the elytra, the fifth tergite (of) not quite 

 so long as the fourth and with well separated irregular longitudinal carinules 

 throughout and a feebly convex median rounded spot before the apex, the 

 sixth rather narrowed apically, flat, with fine longitudinal rugulose folds, 

 the apex broadly sinuate between the slightly projecting lateral lobes, which 

 are bounded externally by thickened and posteriorly diverging margins; 

 at the middle of the apical sinus there is a very small and feeble projection; 

 sterna as usual, the process aciculate, the basal joint of the hind tarsi shorter 



