MONOGRAPH OF WEST INDIAN STAPHYLINIDAE 373 



5. ECHIASTER BUPHTHALMUS Cameron 



Echiaster buphthalmus Camebon, 1913b, p. 337. — Leng and Mutchler, 1917, p. 

 198.— SCHEE35PELTZ, 1933, p. 1238.— Blackweldek, 1939a, p. 116. 



Description. — Rufotestaceous, elytra paler with apical third black, 

 apex of abdomen piceous. Head moderately large, suborbicular ; eyes 

 large, at about half their length from base ; very densely and very finely 

 umbilicately punctured throughout; antennae short, segments 7 to 10 

 transverse. Pronotmn about five-sevenths as wide as head, one-fifth 

 longer than wide ; widest at anterior third, strongly narrowed in front, 

 moderately narrowed behind; with just a trace of umbilicate sculp- 

 ture as on head but surface appearing (with magnification of 85 times) 

 densely granulose and tuberculose ^^ ; with a longitudinal impression on 

 each side of midline, more separated than usual. Elytra as broad as 

 long, one-sixth longer than pronotum; densely granulose and tuber- 

 culose, with trace of longitudinal series but not rugose. Ahdomen nar- 

 rowed posteriorly; at base densely granulose. becoming less distinct 

 apically; seventh to ninth tergites with dense black hairs arising from 

 small submuricate punctures. Length, 2^ to 3 mm. 



2'ype locality. — St. Vincent. 



Types. — Four specimens (one labeled type) in the collection of Dr. 

 Cameron ; a series of 12 examples in the British Museum also contains 

 a specimen labeled type, from Mustique. 



Records. — The following are the records known to me : 



Antigua: (Blackwelder station 275A). 



St. Vincent: (Cameron, 1913; Cameron collection). 



Grenadines: Mustique (Cameron, 1913; Leng and Mutchler, 1917; British 



Museum ) . 

 Grenada: (British Museum). 

 Trinidad: St. Augustine (Weber, in M.C.Z. and U.S.N.M.), Tunapuna foothills 



(Weber, in M.C.Z. ). 



Specimens exatnined. — I have examined 12 specimens in the British 

 Museum, 4 in the collection of Dr. Cameron, 8 from the Museum of 

 Comparative Zoology, and 1 collected by me in 1935-37. The above 

 description was taken from a specimen borrowed from the British 

 Museum and the one taken by me. 



Remarks. — This species is distinct from all the others examined by 

 me in having the head actually umbilicately punctured. 



Tlie specimen lal)eled type in the Cameron collection must be ac- 

 cepted as the holotypo, inasmuch as Dr. Cameron recorded that the 

 type was in his collection. The examples in the British Museum un- 

 doubtedly have the value and usefulness of paratypes, though not 

 entitled to such status under the International Code. 



My specimen was found in dung. 



"On certain specimens that have been dirty the remnants of the dirt in the sculpture 

 dt'piosaions give a distinct impression of umbilicate punctures. 



