DIVISION I. BRACHYSCELIA (Raffray, 1890) 



In this division all of the trochanters are short, and the femora are very 

 obliquely articulated upon them, so that the femora are very close to their 

 respective coxae. 



The neotropical area has nine brachysceline tribes which may be examined 

 as follows: 



Tribe 1. Faronini 



Raffray (1890, 1903, 1908) 



Casey (1887, 1893, 1897) 



Students of the family Pselaphidae are unanimous in regarding the Faronini 

 as a very primitive, generalized tribe, if not the most primitive existing section 

 of the family. The tribe is a small one, and has a wide, discontinuous distri- 

 bution, with New Zealand holding the large majority of described species. Of 

 some ten or eleven genera, only three are found in the region under discussion. 

 These three genera are all monotypic, and found only in Chile. 



The primitive anatomy of the tribe is suggested by the morphology of 

 a North American form, Sonoma (Rafonus) tolulae (LeConte) , parts of which 

 are illustrated here (PI. V, 2, XIII, 4, 5, 7, 9). The body is usually flattened 

 and elongate. The antennae are not highly specialized, but gradually enlarged 

 distally to form a poorly delineated club. The large abdomen is strongly mar- 

 gined, with usually five visible tergites; the stemites visible are six in the 

 females and seven in the males. Casey, speaking of Sonoma {Sonoma), noted 

 that the secondary sexual modifications of the ventral, distal area of the 

 abdomen were bilaterally asymmetrical, and this is not a primitive arrange- 

 ment. On the other hand the tarsi of Faronus and near allies are quite similar 

 to Oxytelini of the Staphylinidae, with the first two segments small, subequal, 

 and the third segment large and having two equal claws. The conical middle 

 and posterior coxae are staphylinoid, and also euplectine. Casey (1893, p. 433) 

 thought the tribe intermediate between staphylinids and pselaphids, and in 

 addition to the oxyteline tarsus, pointed out that the transverse pubescent 

 line of the first visible tergite was not only a typical faronine condition, but 

 also was frequently seen in the staphylinid Homalini. 



Key to the Genera 



Pronotum with a median longitudinal sulcus 2 



Pronotum with no median longitudinal sulcus GOLASA 



2. First four tergites subequal in length PROSAGOLA 



First three tergites subequal in length, fourth tergite much larger 



SALAGOSA 



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