MONOGRAPH OF WEST INDIAN STAPHYLINIDAE 525 



riiiely cited even as a synonym. However, in 1860 (1860a, p. 575) 

 Motschulsky wrote that his name was older than that of Kraatz 

 and that Kraatz had improperly credited the name to himself. In 

 view of this it appears that Motschulsky 's name is the older and is 

 to be used for the genus, and the Kraatz name may reasonably be 

 considered an emendation or misspelling. 



This genus is world-wide in distribution and is well represented 

 in North and South America. It is readily recognized by its con- 

 vex tapering form and dense vestiture. 



Five species have been described from the West Indies but I am 

 unable to distinguish them. I have therefore considered them to be 

 only one species. 



1. CONOSOMUS INTERRUPTUS (Erichson) 



Conurus Interrupt us. Erichson, 1839b, p. 225. 



Conosoma interruptum (Erichson), Bernhauer and Schubert, 1916, p. 468. 



Conosoma vitraci Bernhauer, 1918, p. 50. — Scheerpeltz, 1933, p. 1500. 



C'onosoma caribeanuni Bip:rig, 1937, p. 276, figs. 4, 5. 



Conosoma cuhanum Bierig, 1937, p. 277, fig. 6. 



Conosoma cwiforme Bieriq, 1937, p. 278, fig. 7. 



Description. — Piceocastaneous, basal spot on elytra and apex of 

 abdomen more or less rufescent. Head transverse, inserted into 

 prothorax almost to the eyes; frontal area testaceous; antennae 

 slender at base, apical segment variable in shape; with rather fine 

 and irregular punctures between the eyes. Pronotwn strongly con- 

 vex, nearly one-third wider than long, sides evenly rounded; with 

 very fine and vaguely submuricate punctures throughout; surface 

 shining. Elytra with punctures similar to those of pronotum but 

 somewhat obscured by in-egular ground sculpture. Abdomen with 

 very fine punctures rather obscured by fine and irregular ground 

 sculpture, the punctures more distinctly submuricate posteriorly. 

 Vestiture very conspicuous throughout. Length, I14 to 3 mm. 



Type locality. — "Valle Araguensi Columbiae." Of vitraci, Guade- 

 loupe ; of caribeanunn, cuhanum, and conforme, Cuba. 



Types. — Either in the Hope Museum, Oxford, or the Zoologische 

 Museum, Berlin. Of vitraci, in the Bernhauer collection; of cari- 

 hearmm, cuhanum, and confonne, in the Bierig collection. One 

 "cotype" of conforme is in the United States National Museum. 



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



Cuba: Sierra del Rosario, EI Rangel (Bierig, 1937), Sierra de Bonilla, Cueva 

 del Indio (Bierig, 1937), Pico Somorrostro (Bierig, 1937), Aspiro (Bierig, 

 1937), Cayamas (Schwarz, in U.S.N.M.), Soledad (Darlington, in M.C.Z. 

 and U.S. N. M.), Pico Turquino (Darlington, in M.C.Z. and U. S. N. M). 



Jamaica: Bath in St. Tliomas (Blackwelder station 387A). 



