34 BULLETIN 18 2, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



previously published or represented by specimens in collections or 

 new ones from my own collecting. These are arranged geographi- 

 cally in the following order: (1) The West Indies from the Bahamas 

 Islands through the Greater Antilles and the Lesser Antilles to 

 Trinidad (and Curac^ao) ; (2) South, Central, and North America; 

 (3) Europe, Africa, and the Orient. In the case of large islands, 

 such as Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, and Trinidad, spe- 

 cific localities are listed when known; but with the smaller islands 

 this has seemed unnecessary. In all cases of my own records, how- 

 ever, reference is given to the collecting stations listed hereinafter 

 (p. 584), where detailed localities can be obtained. For continental 

 American and for Old World records only the country (or State in 

 the United States) is given, with the source of the record. The rec- 

 ords for Guadeloupe have generally been divided between Basse 

 Terre and Grande Terre. (See map No. 10). These are virtually 

 separate islands and are very different in topography and vegeta- 

 tion. Records from Hispaniola have been separated as from Haiti 

 and the Dominican Republic. This is simply a matter of con- 

 venience. 



There frequently arise situations when another student is attempt- 

 ing to use a work of this sort, in which he needs to know what 

 specimens and how many were before the describer or reviser. He 

 will also want to know if the types have been examined. I have 

 therefore given for each species the number and location of the speci- 

 mens that I have examined, with specific mention of the types if they 

 were studied. 



Other data of interest not included in the previous sections are 

 mentioned under "Remarks." Comparisons with similar species are 

 often given, and mention of the subgenus is made if it has been 

 determined. And what is known of the habits or occurrence of the 

 species is given in a separate paragraph. 



Certain exceptions to this general plan should be noted. The sub- 

 families Euaesthetinae and Aleocharinae and the genera Palamiims 

 and Sfenolinus are not treated in the monographic manner that was 

 used for the others. The reasons for these omissions vary as outlined 

 below. 



The subfamily Aleocharinae contains a large and varied assortment 

 of insects but is rather homogeneous in structure. Since the time of 

 Erichson its subdivisions have been based in the primary divisions 

 upon the number of the tarsal and palpal segments. The usual 

 minute size of these species, and the occasionally great specializa- 

 tion, make it very difficult to count these segments under ordinary 



