STAPHYLINID^;. 177 



strongly inflexed and invisible from the sides as in Acrotona and 

 Colpodota, the middle coxae contiguous, the mesosternal process 

 short and acute, the metasternum transverse and feebly arcuate, not 

 advancing anteriorly and the hind tarsi very slender, with the basal 

 joint greatly elongate, being equal to the two following combined 

 as a rule. The cephalic carinae are generally very feeble, but are 

 variably developed according to the species. Some of these char- 

 acters, such as those relating to the hind tarsi and the fine dense 

 abdominal punctures, together with a slight resemblance in general 

 form, would appear to suggest the European Brachyusa as being 

 the closest relative of this genus; but the sternal structure is there 

 radically different. Brachyusa, in fact, having the hypomera hori- 

 zontal and warped, so that a small part is visible from the sides as 

 in Dimetrota, bears a resemblance to that genus somewhat parallel 

 to that borne by the present genus to Acrotona. The species are 

 numerous and distributed from the Atlantic to the Pacific. 



Strigota oppidana n. sp. Rather slender and convex, feebly alutaceous, 

 evenly blackish-piceous and very minutely, closely and simply punctate, 

 as closely and finely so on the abdomen as elsewhere, the elytra pale brown, 

 but little more closely or less minutely punctate, the legs pale; pubescence 

 close and very short, fine and decumbent; head nearly as long as wide, feebly 

 inflated basally, the eyes moderately small, at much more than their own 

 length from the base, the carinse very fine and basal; antennae rather long, 

 moderately and very gradually incrassate, blackish-piceous, a little paler 

 basally, the three basal joints equal in length, the first stoutest, the fourth 

 fully as long as wide, the fifth a little, the tenth much, wider than long, the 

 last pointed, not quite as long as the two preceding; prothorax only about 

 a third wider than long, parallel and broadly rounded at the sides, broadly 

 convex, wholly unimpressed, much wider than the head, fully as wide as 

 the elytral base, the base broadly rounded, with the angles obtuse and rounded ; 

 elytra rather short and small, with feebly diverging sides, the suture about 

 three-fourths as long as the prothorax; abdomen long, not quite as wide 

 as the elytra, gradually and very feebly tapering, the fifth tergite four-fifths 

 as wide as the first and a third longer than the fourth. Length 1 .75-2.25 mm. ; 

 width 0.35-0.45 mm. New York (near the city). 



Recognizable by its slender form, subalutaceous lustre and very 

 minute, close and even punctures. 



Strigota gnava n. sp. Rather less elongate and more shining, the minute 

 punctures less close throughout, the pubescence a little longer and stiffer; 

 dark piceous to black in color, the head darker, the abdomen black and the 

 elytra pale brown, the legs pale; head but slightly wider than long, evidently 

 inflated basally, the eyes at scarcely more than their own length from the 

 T. L. Casey, Mem. Co!. I, Sept. 1910. 



