STAPHYLINIDJE. 67 



unimpressed; elytra rather short and transverse, truncate at apex, the suture 

 narrowly impressed basally and about a fifth longer than the prothorax; 

 abdomen evidently narrower than the elytra, slightly narrowed apically, 

 finely, somewhat closely punctulate though shining; basal joint of the hind 

 tarsi a little shorter than two to four, which are equal. Length 1.75-2.25 

 mm.; width 0.38-0.47 mm. New York (Catskill Mts.). 



This species is aberrant and is scarcely congeneric with the three 

 preceding; the mesosternum is virtually similar in length, but the 

 apex is acutely angulate, though not aciculate, and the depressed 

 ridge thence posteriorly to the angulate metasternum is broadly 

 convex, the coxae being much more widely separated. There ap- 

 pears to be no male among my four examples, or else the male 

 sexual characters are very feeble. 



Atheta (Philhygra) houstoni n. sp. Subparallel, rather strongly depressed, 

 much flatter above than in any of the preceding, feebly shining, the punctures 

 close but very minute and scarcely at all asperulate even on the elytra; color 

 piceous-black throughout, the elytra pale subflavate, clouded toward the 

 scutellum, the legs pale; vestiture short, rather pale; head quadrate, but 

 little wider than long, the eyes moderately convex, rather large, at nearly 

 three-fourths of their own length from the base, the tempora parallel behind 

 them and equally prominent, rounding basally, the carinse feeble and not 

 quite entire; antennae rather long and slender, only very feebly and gradu- 

 ally incrassate, the second joint almost as long as the first, very slender, 

 much longer than the third, which is about twice as long as wide, the outer 

 joints nearly as long as wide, the last much shorter than the two preceding; 

 prothorax moderately transverse, much wider than the head but only very 

 little narrower than the elytra, widest anteriorly, where the sides are broadly 

 rounded, thence feebly converging and nearly straight to the base, unim- 

 pressed; elytra evidently shorter than wide, truncate, the suture a third 

 longer than the prothorax; abdomen perfectly parallel, narrower than the 

 elytra, finely, somewhat sparsely punctulate; hind tarsi as in leviceps but 

 shorter. Length 1.82 mm.; width 0.38 mm. Texas (Galveston). 



Also aberrant, especially because of its depressed surface and 

 long, rather slender antennae. The mesosternum is nearly as in 

 leviceps, but is separated from the stouter, very broadly angulate 

 metasternum by a longer depressed ridge, which is more strongly 

 convex, the coxae not so widely separated. No male sexual charac- 

 ters are evident in the two examples. 



Adota n. subgen. 



The few Pacific coast species placed under this name differ widely 

 in general appearance from any of the preceding subgenera of Atheta, 



