STAPHYLINIDAE. 61 



Head not constricted into a narrow neck ; 



A. Joints of hind tarsi equal, or slightly decreasing in length ; 



Anterior and middle tibia? strongly spinous externally. 



Phytosus. 

 Tibia? not spinous ; 



Labial palpi 3-jointed ; 



Ligula long, slender, bifid at the extremity ; joints of hind 



tarsi 1 — 4 equal. Hoplandbia. 



Ligula short, bifid; joints of hind tarsi 1 — 4 decreasing iu 



length. Homalota. 



Labial palpi very long, two-jointed ; joints of hind tarsi 1 — 4 



equal. Stenusa. 



b. Hind tarsi with the first joint decidedly longer than the second ; 



a. Maxillae with inner lobe ciliate internally, with small spines ; 



Labial palpi short, 2-jointed. Placusa. 



Labial palpi 3-jointed, joints quite distinct ; 



Antenna? slender ; abdomen narrowed in front ; ligula short, 

 bifid ; labial palpi with the first joint longer, second and 

 third equal. Tachyusa. 



Antenna? thick ; ligula long, bifid at the tip ; labial palpi 



with the second joint shorter. Bolitochaka. 



Antenna? thick ; ligula elongate, narrow, entire at tip ; 

 labial palpi with the first joint shorter and wider than 

 the second. Philotermes. 



b. Maxillas with the inner lobe ciliate, with hairs ; at the apex 



with some corneous hooks ; 

 Hind angles of thorax indistinct ; abdomen of the usual form. 



Myemedonia. 

 Hind angles of thorax distinct ; sides of thorax and abdomen 

 widely reflexed, the latter with tufts of hair on the sides 

 above. Atimeles. 



B. All the tarsi 5-jointed ; 



Palpi with a small additional terminal joint. Aleochaea. 



Maxillary palpi 4-jointed, labial 3-jointed ; 



Head not narrowed behind ; first joint of hind tarsi distinctly elon- 

 gated.* Oxypoda. 

 Head narrowed behind ; first joint of hind tarsi scarcely elongated. 



Phlojopoea. 



The species of Homo-lota are very numerous; the other genera 

 are moderate in size, or represented only by single species. 



Group II. — Gyrophaenas. 

 The species of this group are small, of an oval form, much 



* Here belongs the genus Myrmecochara Kraatz (Linn. Ent., xi. 40), but 

 from the description I am unable to discover any distinctive character be- 

 tween it and Oxypoda. 



