166 GEO. H. HORN, M. D. 



Tribe XL. — Brachynini. 



Antennae slender, the condyle of the basal joint exposed, two basal and a portion 

 of the third joint glabrous. Head gradually narrowed behind the eyes forming 

 a neck, front with one supra-orbital seta, clypeus moderately prolonged. Labrum 

 broad, truncate. Eyes oval, oblique, narrowly separated from the buccal open- 

 ing. Mandibles stout, feebly arcuate and with a setigerous puncture externally. 

 Maxillse hooked at tip, ciliate within and at the tip, the outer lobe slender, 

 %vith equal joints, the palpi moderate, the last two joints more or less pubescent. 

 Mentum moderately broad, emarginate, toothed or not, the ligula in great jjart 

 membranous, the oval centre corneous and bisetose at tip, the paraglossse broad, 

 adherent and ciliate at tip, the palpi moderate in length, the second joint longer 

 than the last and plurisetose in front. Thorax with short marginal setse, no special 

 seta at the hind angle. Scutellum distinct. Elytra not margined at base, narrowly 

 inflexed, margin not interrupted, no internal plica, apex truncate and with a 

 membranous border, disc not striate and without dorsal punctures. Prosternura 

 not prolonged at tip. Mesosternal epimera broad. Metasternal epimera distinct, 

 the posterior cox£e either contiguous or separated. Middle and posterior tibiae 

 finely ciliate or spinulose externally, the anterior deeply emarginate within, the 

 inner spur at the summit of the emargination. Tarsi slender, the fourth joint 

 feebly emarginate, the anterior of the males with three joints feebly dilated and 

 squamulose beneath. 



This is one of tlie tribes the composition of which seems at present 

 free from differences of opinion. Its position among the other tribes 

 seems, however, far from settled, and I would merely suggest that it be 

 placed after the Graphipterini for want of a better place although its 

 wide mesosternal epimera exclude it, not only from any intimate associa- 

 tion with these, but also any of the tribes of the present sub-family 

 excepting the Ozsenini and the two adjacent tribes. With the latter it 

 can hardly be said to have much affinity. 



The only genus occurring in our fauna is Brachynus and to this it is 

 necessary to direct our attention. In the general diagnosis the posterior 

 coxae are said to be either contiguous or separated. It will be observed 

 in the larger species that many of the specimens have the coxae plainly 

 contiguous, the smaller species have the coxae separated and in the case 

 of carinulatus rather widely, so that in the present genus a character 

 shrinks into insignificance which ifi other parts of the series is of the 

 highest importance. This is one of the few instances known to me in 

 the entire Carabide series in which a really important character ceases to 

 have its full value. 



On the other hand the apparent increase of the number of the 

 abdominal segments to seven or eight has been exaggerated in value 

 very far beyond its importance. If we examine the species of any of 

 the genera which emit from the anus a liquid whether explosive or not, it 

 will be seen that the structure in no way differs from that of Brach/nus 

 except that the latter has a broader sixth segment which, being truncate 



