MONOGRAPH OF WEST INDIAN STAPHYLINIDAE 31 



published as generic revisions of the groups (Blackwelder, 1939a 

 and 1942). 



It is obviously impossible to make identifications of species unless 

 the genus is definitely known. The genus depends largely upon its 

 genotype for its definitive characters, and it is therefore very im- 

 portant to have designated genotypes for all the generic names. 

 Ver}'^ few designations have been made in this family, even by stu- 

 dents who liave made careful studies of genera and subgenera. Such 

 studies may lose much of their value if their writers' conception of 

 the genus differed from the conception of the original describer of 

 the genus. Our rules of procedure compel us to go back to the origi- 

 nal conception, and this should be established as the cornerstone of 

 the foundation of each generic revision. I have, therefore, listed 

 genotypes for all names, although this has involved the designation 

 of a great many. The International Rules of Zoological Nomen- 

 clature have been scrupulously adhered to, and all doubtful cases 

 are discussed in footnotes. It is possible that previous designations 

 have been overlooked in some cases, but careful search has been made 

 and every original description examined. An indication is always 

 given as to the source of the designation, whether it is a monobasic 

 genus or designation was made originally, subsequently, or in the 

 present work. 



The generic diagnoses form, in my estimation, one of the impor- 

 tant contributions of this study. It is very surprising to find that 

 few of our several thousand named genera of Staphylinidae have 

 ever been carefully described. Original publications far too often 

 base a genus simply upon a certain species, or upon a single differ- 

 ence between it and a related genus. In trying to remedy this I 

 have assembled a diagnosis containing the characters that appear to 

 be of generic value in that subfamily, giving them in a uniform man- 

 ner for comparison. These were almost always drawn from actual 

 specimens, wherever possible from the genotype. Some characters 

 used in these descriptions have not been commonly used in the past. 

 Explanations of them will be found under "Terminology" or in my 

 study of the morphology (Blackwelder, 1936). It is believed that 

 these characters will be found to hold for most of the species of the 

 genus in any part of the world. Frequently several species have been 

 examined, but it is, of course, impossible to be certain without exam- 

 ining all the species of each genus. They will hold, I believe, for 

 all (he American species. 



The keys to species are often based in part upon species known 

 to me only by descriptions. Although this has forced me to rely in 

 l)art on the characters (frequently superficial) that are to be found 



