134 Trans. Acad. Sci. of St. Louis. 



taiu Maseochara and JEmplenota (^Polystoma) distinct from 

 Aleochara, as admitted in current literature, and not admit 

 Hheochara, Ceranota and the others as likewise valid. In mj- 

 own opinion they are all equally valid genera or else are all 

 subgenera. The final conclusion will be revealed by future 

 concurrence of opinion and the function of the writer is ful- 

 filled in simply pointing out the numerous divergencies of 

 structure. The attempt to determine the actual value of these 

 anatomical discordances should, however, only be made by 

 those willing to give the subject close and thorough study 

 with adequate optical appliances. The talented systematists 

 Thomson and Key have been the only ones thus far to really 

 examine these generic groups and I agree fully with their 

 conclusions. Many of Key's species, also, have been care- 

 lessly and unjustly suppressed, in addition to considerable un- 

 warranted discrediting of his genera. 



The foreign genera above indicated may be alluded to in 

 brief as follows : — 



Ctenochara n. gen. — This genus is founded upon a very 

 small species of the European fauna, sent to me some years 

 ago under the name Aleochara clavicornis Redt. It may or 

 may not be correctly determined, but whatsoever its true 

 name may prove to be, it can readily be recognized by the 

 characters given the table. Whether other species should 

 -enter the genus at present is unknown to the writer. 



NoTiocHARA n. gen. — Two species from the vicinity of 

 Cape Town in South Africa seemed at first to be aberrant 

 members of Xenochara, but closer observation revealed cer- 

 ^tain peculiarities of structure which necessitate generic separa- 

 tion, these relating principally to the very important abdomi- 

 nal characters as stated in the above table, together with 

 the entire absence of sinuation at the tips of the elytra near 

 the sides. The types maj^ be described as follows: — 



vForm moderately stout, convex, polished, deep black throughout, the elytra 

 not at all paler; antennae black, the basal parts and legs dark piceous, 

 the tarsi paler; pubescence very short, not dense, dark fuscous in color 

 and inconspicuous; head not quite half as wide as the prothorax, 

 strongly deflexed and deeply inserted, the eyes and palpi well developed, 



