430 Trans. Acad. iSci. of St. Louis. 



elytra impunctate except three or four rows of widely spaced setigerous 

 punctures, glabrous except along the lower part of the ioflexed flanks, 

 where there is some sparse reclining pubescence ; abdomen finely, closely 

 punctulate and pubescent throughout; middle coxae very large, con- 

 tiguous, extending from the middle virtually to the sides of the body, 

 with the exposed surface flat, the anterior coxae very large and promi- 

 nent as usual; legs moderately stout, the anterior tar.si strongly di- 

 lated, rather less strongly so in the female^ the posterior slender, fili- 

 form, closely clothed throughout with very short inclined setulose pu- 

 bescence, the basal joint much longer than ihe second, the first four joints 

 rapidly decreasing in length. Probably cosmopolitan Dioclms 



I have had no opportunity to compare the European species 

 with our own, but presume there is no generic difference of 

 any kind ; the above description is drawn throughout from 

 the American representatives. 



Diochus Erichs. 



The general habitus of this genus is unique in the present 

 tribe, the remarkably small elongate head being proportion- 

 ally less developed than in any other Staphylinid type that I 

 can recall at present; this, with the anteriorly and not poste- 

 riorly narrowed protliorax, f usoid outline and fine close pubes- 

 cence of the abdomen, adds to the disparity. The prothorax 

 has a broadly and evenly arcuate base, quite as evenly but more 

 strongly rounded apex, with very broadly rounded angles, and 

 the dorsal surface has four small setigerous punctures near the 

 middle, forming an elongate parallelogram, and, more anterior- 

 ly and nearer each side, there is a larger setigerous puncture; 

 further still toward each side there is an arcuate longitudinal 

 series of about four punctures, also a few scattered along the 

 edges throughout the periphery. The head has a number of 

 setigerous punctures sparsely scattered toward the sides but 

 otherwise is impunctate. The pronotum has no trace of 

 wavy strigilation or other minute ground sculpture so usual in 

 the Xantholini and Othii; the surface is highly polished 

 throughout, the abdomen being dullish because of the dense 

 fine vestiture. The species are apparently more numerous in 

 America than in Europe; they are very active, running with 

 greater velocity when disturbed than is usually the case in the 



