Preface 



The scope of this paper is limited in two ways. The author has attempted 

 to coordinate and add to the information on the Pselaphidae which inhabit 

 the American tropics. This has never been coordinated, the nearest approach 

 being that of David Sharp, who gave a series of inadequate descriptions of 

 Central American species in 1887 in the Biologia Centrali Americana. Second, 

 this present paper, through the medium of a modified Rafifrayan system, 

 bridges the thirty odd years between the generic analysis of this family by 

 Raffray in 1908, in the Genera Insectorum, and 1941. During this time much 

 novel information has accumulated on the anatomy, taxonomy, species ecology 

 and zoogeography of these fascinating beetles. 



For the past six years I have received much help from many people, and 

 this opportunity is taken to thank them. I am indebted to Mr. H. S. Barber 

 of the Bureau of Entomology for permission to study the types of neotropical 

 pselaphids described by F. C. Fletcher; to Dr. E. A. Chapin of the National 

 Museum for providing facilities to study at this institution; to Dr. Black- 

 welder of the same institution for reading and criticizing the section on com- 

 parative anatomy; to Mr. J, B. Calhoun of my Department for checking de- 

 scriptions; to Professor Alfred Emerson of the University of Chicago for the 

 gift of specimens from the Canal Zone and British Guiana, for identification 

 of host termites, and for a reading of the entire manuscript; to the late Mr. 

 H. C. Fall of Tyngsboro, Massachusetts for critical advice; to Mr. W. J. 

 Gerhard of the Field Museum for reading galley proof; to Miss Gloria Hilker 

 and Mr. Raymond Parker of my Department for secretarial aid ; to Dr. C. H. 

 Seevers of the Chicago Y.M.C.A. College for the gift of specimens from Mexico 

 and Colombia; to Mr. Henry Dybas of the University of Chicago for the gift 

 of specimens from Mexico; to Mr. J. D. Sherman, Jr. of Mt. Vernon, New 

 York for procuring essential literature; to Dr. H. F. Strohecker of Ohio Uni- 

 versity for the gift of specimens from Bolivia and Brazil ; to Dr. E. C. Williams 

 of the Chicago Academy of Sciences for the gift of specimens from the Canal 

 Zone; to Mr. Rupert Wenzel of the Field Museum for the gift of a specimen 

 from Paraguay; and to Mr. James Zetek, U.S. Department of Agriculture for 

 many facilities in the Panama Canal Zone. 



To all of these I am deeply appreciative, but must point out that short- 

 comings in this paper are to be credited to the author. 



This report is not a monograph of neotropical Pselaphidae. It is a sum- 

 mary of data preparatory to monographic study. Many genera are insuf- 

 ficiently known to key out all of the described forms; many type specimens 

 must be examined and redescribed; many species await description; the spe- 

 cies ecology and distribution of neotropical pselaphids are little understood. 



(ix) 



