Casey — Observations on the Staphylinidae. 359 



plate; elytral suture fine, straight and Dormal; midclle coxae contig- 

 uous; antennae less approximate on the front than in the Xanthollni, 

 nearly as in Othii and Diochi 8 



2 — Antennae finely and densely pubescent from the fourth joint, not no- 



tably compressed 3 



Antennae subglabrous, strongly compressed, approximate as in Xanthollni 7 



3 — Maxillary palpi glabrous, excepting a few sparse tactile bristles 4 



Maxillary palpi minutely pubescent; antennae less approximate 6 



4 — Labial palpi noi mal, the last joint mo re or less slender 5 



Labial palpi with the last joint large and securiform; antennae approxi- 

 mate; neck slender; middle coxae very remotely separated, much 

 smaller than usual ; inner edge of the elytra usually less broadly beveled 

 than in the Xanthollni. Neotropieal regions •Araeocnemes 



6 — Antennae approximate on the frontal margin, the latter more or lea* 



feebly but apruptly advanced between them in the middle, forming a 

 distinct epistoma; elytral suture always broadly beveled and abnormal; 

 middle coxae distinctly separated as a rule Xantholinl 



Antennae more widely separated, the frontal margin nearly truncate be- 

 tween them; elytral suture normal; middle coxae contiguous Othii 



(i — Elytral suture normal; middle coxae contiguous; head much less de- 

 veloped than in any other subtribe, the antennae relatively distant at 

 base Dioclii 



7 — Antennae very approximate as in the Xanthollni, the narrow epistoma be- 



tween them much more produced, dorsally elevated and bilobed; elytral 

 suture but slightly beveled, almost normal, the middle coxae contigu- 

 ous *Metopoiici 



8 — Mentum normal, short and transverse; antennae as usual; body de- 



pressed, small in size '"Hyptiomae 



Mentum with its coriaceous continuation triangular; antennae some- 

 what abnormal, the joints elongate and compressed; body moderately 

 convex, very large in size *Platypro8opi 



The subtribes foreign to America, as indicated by the 

 asterisks, may be remarked upon as follows: — 



Araeocneines. — A few genera, composed of large and 

 showy neotropical species, alone constitute this tribe. The 

 principal genus has long been known under the name >iS'^e:r- 

 culia Lap., but, as an important genus of plants has been 

 designated for a still longer time by the same name, it 

 seems advisable to change the zoological name, espec- 

 ially as we can do so without coining a new word, the Arae- 

 ocnemis, of Nordmann, being synonymical with StercuUa.* 



* It would be ambiguous, for instance, if not altogether absurd, to speak 

 of a StercuUa lauta being found under dead leaves in the shade of a Sterculia 

 amerieana. Another example of the same kind is the well known Pselaphid 

 genus Beichenbachia, and I would propose that this be changed to Belch* 

 enbachius to distinguish it from the Reichenbachia of the botanists. 



