128 Trans. Acad. Set. of St. Louis. 



at base, the first two strongly, the third feebly, the fourth also appar- 

 ently slightly impressed or with the basal plate equally strongly ele- 

 vated. Mesosternum more or less wide between the coxae, attaining 

 the metasternum, which is broadly rounded or subangulate and but 

 slightly produced; head small, distinctly and arcuately narrowed to the 

 basa, the eyes large, the front between them angulate; antennae varia- 

 ble; basal angles of the prothorax obliterated; abdomen always 

 coarsely and very sparsely punctate; hind tarsi with the basal joint 



much elongated. Cosmopolitan Aleochara 



Abdomen with the basal terglte alone impressed at base; body stout but 

 much smaller in size; antennae short, very stout, compact, slender at 

 base; basal angles of the prothorax more evident though very broadly 

 rounded ^ 



4 — Mesosternal process moderately broad , extending to the tip of the coxae, 



meeting the very short and broadly rounded metasternum andemarg- 

 Inate at tip; head small, strongly narrowed at base, the eyes large, the 

 front obtusely triangular between them; prothorax much narrowed 

 in front as in Aleochara, the abdomen strongly, more evenly and rather 

 less sparsely sculptured; hind tarsi shorter than the tibiae, with the 

 basal joint elongate as in Aleochara; male sexual characters evinced 

 in irregular acute pectination of the sixth tergite and discal tuber- 



culation of the fifth. Europe *Ctenochara 



Mesosternal process slightly abbreviated and extremely narrow toward tip, 

 the latter very narrowly truncate, attaining the acute tip of the some- 

 what elongate raetasternal process; head large, abruptly and only mod- 

 erately narrowed at base, the eyes relatively less developed, the front 

 between them very broadly subtruncate; prothorax subparallel; abdo- 

 men much more finely, closely and evenly sculptured than in Aleochara; 

 hind tarsi very elongate, slender, fully as long as the tibiae, with the 

 basal joint much elongated as in Aleochara; male sexual characters 

 undetermined. Pacific Coast of America Aidochara 



5 — The carina entire and unusually elevated but formed, at least posteriorly, 



by a general bilateral compression of the surface, the summit generally 

 more declivous toward the tip of the process, where it becomes setose ; 

 maxillary palpi normally slender and elongate, with the fourth joint 

 aciculate; mesosternal process rather narrow toward tip, extending to 

 the end of the coxae, where it meets the extremely short [and broadly 

 arcuate metasternum; hind tarsi well developed, with the basal joint 

 much elongated as in Aleochara * 



The carina generally entire though frequently abbreviated, alwaya fine, even 

 and formed by an abrupt elevation of the medial line only, never 

 modified or setose toward tip 7 



6 — Body more or less stout as in Aleochara, the head rather small, arcu- 

 ately narrowing behind the well developed eyes, the front angulate 

 between them; antennae rather well developed; prothorax much nar- 

 rowed in front, nearly as in Aleochara but with the basal angles much 

 more evident; elytra feebly but very obviously sinuate externally at tip; 

 abdomen finely and very closely punctate, the first two tergites alone 

 distinctly, though rather acutely, and only moderately, the remainder 

 not definitely, impressed. Europe and America Xenochara 



