Casey — Observations on the Staphylinidae. 385 



similarly but the punctures become fine and more numerous, 

 being rather close-set in the series. 0\ir picipenjiis consti- 

 tutes still another group, with the dorsal punctures coarsely 

 impressed and few in number, nearly as in the glabratiis group, 

 though the dorsal series terminate at a greater distance be- 

 fore the base; the sublateral series are similar, and, at some 

 distance within each anterior angle, there is a cluster of three 

 or four punctures, also others along the lateral and apical 

 margins. The eh^tral punctuation of the European species is 

 nearly as in JSTudobius, and the feeble sexual characters 

 throughout resemble those prevailing in that genus. Our 

 single representative may be described as follows : — 



Body rather stout, parallel, moderately convex, polished, deep black, the 

 elytra and legs piceo- testaceous throughout, ttie antennae dusky; head 

 behind the antennae quadrate, parallel and nearly straight at the sides, 

 the basal angles rounded; sides behind the eyes flattened, this surface 

 more inferior than dorsal in position, confusedly, closely and strongly 

 punctured, its upper and lower bounding edges polished, subpromi- 

 nently rounded and impunctate; upper surface convex, coarsely and 

 closely punctured, with a very broad and somewhat abruptly defined 

 median impunctate area, the punctures of the under surface strongly, 

 though not so closely impressed; neck rather more than two-fifths as 

 wide as the head; antennae obviously longer than the head, with the 

 outer part subparallel and only moderately stout, the second and third 

 joints equal and each distinctly elongate; prothorax but little longer 

 than wide, slightly narrower than the head, the sides rather feebly con- 

 verging and varying from straight to feebly arcuate from the apical to 

 the basal angles, both of which are rounded; elytra well developed, 

 rather longer than wide, as long as the prothorax to a little longer and 

 distinctly wider, not very coarsely but deeply, evenly, confusedly and 

 somewhat sparsely punctate, the upper line of the defiexed fianks sub- 

 impunctate; abdomen finely, sparsely punctulate; hind tarsi with the 

 first four joints decreasing very gradually in length. Length 6.2-7.5 

 mm.; width 1.2-1.4 mm. California (Monterey) to British Columbia. 



picipennis Lee. 



This is the most abundant Xantholinid of the Pacific coast 

 and is subject to comparatively little variability, the head in 

 some specimens — presumably male — being larger than in 

 others, but not differing otherwise. One specimen, from 

 British Columbia, has the elytra piceous-black but probably 

 from accidental causes. 



